Electrochemical oxidation of amphetamine-like drugs and application to electroanalysis of ecstasy in human serum

Amphetamine and amphetamine-like drugs are popular recreational drugs of abuse because they are powerful stimulants of the central nervous system. Due to a dramatic increase in the abuse of methylenedioxylated derivatives, individually and/or in a mixture, and to the incoherent and contradictory interpretation of the electrochemical data available on this subject, a comprehensive study of the redox properties of amphetamine-like drugs was accomplished. The oxidative behaviour of amphetamine (A), methamphetamine (MA), methylenedioxyamphetamine (MDA) and methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) was studied in different buffer systems by cyclic, differential pulse and square-wave voltammetry using a glassy carbon electrode. A quantitative electroanalytical method was developed and successfully applied to the determination of MDMA in seized samples and in human serum. Validation parameters, such as sensitivity, precision and accuracy, were evaluated. The results found using the developed electroanalytical methodology enabled to gather some information about the content and amount of MDMA present in ecstasy tablets found in Portugal. Moreover, the data found in this study outlook the possibility of using the voltammetric methods to investigate the potential harmful effects of interaction between drugs such as MDMA and methamphetamine and other substances often used together in ecstasy tablets.