Identification of new biomarkers for the epidemiological monitoring of new psychoactive substances in wastewater

鉴定用于废水中新精神活性物质流行病学监测的新生物标志物

• 批准号: 492370445
• 负责人: Dr. Sascha Kevin Manier
• 金额: --
• 依托单位: Arbeitsgruppe Experimentelle und Klinische Toxikologie
• 依托单位国家: 德国
• 项目类别: Research Grants
• 资助国家: 德国
• 项目状态: 未结题
• 来源: https://gepris.dfg.de/gepris/projekt/492370445?language=en
• 关键词: Identification; new; biomarkers; epidemiological; monitoring

Drugs of abuse are a global problem that is being studied in detail by scientists and authorities. Various techniques, such as surveys or hospital records, are commonly used to determine the extent of the consumption. However, in recent years, the testing of wastewater samples has also been increasingly investigated to determine the prevalence of drug use. A major challenge in this regard is posed by new psychoactive substances (NPS), which are structurally derived from classic drugs of abuse, but are usually much more potent. Especially in the case of synthetic opioids or similar highly potent substances, direct detection of the parent substance in an untargeted screening procedure is very unlikely.In this project, new biomarkers for the presence of such NPS in wastewater samples shall be identified. These biomarkers may originate from the metabolism of the microorganisms, but also from reactions of the substances with components of the wastewater matrix.Therefore, in order to find suitable markers for epidemiological monitoring of such substances, standardized protocols are first developed to detect potential biomarkers after incubation of wastewater samples (influent) from sewage treatment plants. These protocols include an extensively evaluated extraction method and an analytical method based on nano-liquid chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry. Subsequently, two commonly seized NPS in Europe, furanylfentanyl from the synthetic opioids group and 5F-MDMB-PICA from the synthetic cannabinoids group, shall be incubated with pooled waster samples from different wastewater treatment plants and previously unknown biomarkers shall be identified using metabolomics techniques. This project would lay the groundwork for the investigation of more complex models. For example, metabolomics studies using wastewater incubations could be coupled with in vivo or in vitro models to simulate ingestion of the substances and thus provide better information on biomarkers that indicate not only the presence but also the consumption of the respective substance. In addition, further studies can investigate the effect of complex mixtures of NPS on the microorganisms of the wastewater, as they are more common in reality. The aim of this work is not to develop statistical models that indicate the consumption or presence of NPS, but to identify individual structures that can be detected by other working groups, such as those in (environmental-) toxicology or forensic sciences, even without the applied techniques using untargeted or targeted screening methods.

滥用药物是一个全球性问题，科学家和当局正在对此进行详细研究。通常使用调查或医院记录等各种技术来确定消费程度。然而，近年来，对废水样本的检测也越来越多地被调查，以确定吸毒的流行情况。这方面的一个主要挑战是新的精神活性物质（NPS），它们在结构上源自经典的滥用药物，但通常更有效。特别是在合成阿片类药物或类似的强效物质的情况下，在非目标筛选程序中直接检测母体物质的可能性很小。在该项目中，应鉴定废水样品中是否存在此类 NPS 的新生物标志物。这些生物标志物可能源自微生物的新陈代谢，也可能源自这些物质与废水基质成分的反应。因此，为了找到适合此类物质流行病学监测的标志物，首先制定标准化方案，在对污水处理厂的废水样品（进水）进行孵育后检测潜在的生物标志物。这些方案包括经过广泛评估的提取方法和基于纳米液相色谱与质谱联用的分析方法。随后，欧洲常见的两种新型精神活性物质（合成阿片类物质中的呋喃芬太尼和合成大麻素类中的 5F-MDMB-PICA）应与来自不同废水处理厂的合并废物样品一起孵育，并使用代谢组学技术鉴定以前未知的生物标志物。该项目将为研究更复杂的模型奠定基础。例如，使用废水孵化的代谢组学研究可以与体内或体外模型相结合，以模拟物质的摄入，从而提供有关生物标志物的更好信息，这些生物标志物不仅表明相应物质的存在，而且表明其消耗。此外，进一步的研究可以调查复杂的 NPS 混合物对废水微生物的影响，因为它们在现实中更为常见。这项工作的目的不是开发统计模型来表明 NPS 的消耗或存在，而是确定其他工作组可以检测到的个体结构，例如（环境）毒理学或法医学领域的工作组，即使没有使用非目标或目标筛选方法的应用技术。