Identification of new psychoactive substances through the application of appropriate analytical methodologies: a special focus on chiral compounds

Italy, as well as many other European Countries, is interested by the spread of New Psychoactive Substances (NPS), designer drugs synthesized in chemistry laboratories, including clandestine laboratories and mainly commercialized through Internet in different formulations of commercial presentation. The present research project was part of a collaboration with the Italian National Early Warning System (N.E.W.S.) of the Department for Antidrug Policies, Presidency of the Council of Ministers. That was established in 2009, in compliance with European directives - European Council Decision 2005/387/JHA for the establishment of a mechanism for the rapid exchange of information on New Psychoactive Substances (NPS) - with the aim of monitoring the presence, use and effects of NPS in Italy and of collecting information on new patterns of consumption, on new adulterant/cutting agents, varying percentages of active principles of traditional drugs and toxicological effects. The project was then aimed at analysing the information and data collected by the N.E.W.S. through a systematization of the data registered to monitor the presence of NPS in Italy, on new pattern of use and toxicological effects as well as to eventually identify new trends in the psychoactive drug scenario in our Country. Through data collected by the N.E.W.S. it was possible to identify a potential trend of molecules circulating in Italy and to identify few common scaffolds to be considered in the development of dedicated screening tools, as well as the awareness of new phenomena, like the spread of street heroin adulterated with the methorphan (that exists as dextro or levo stereoisomer, with different pharmacological activity), that may drive further research to better understand the potential health risks associated with the use of this combination.