<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><xml><records><record><source-app name="Biblio" version="7.x">Drupal-Biblio</source-app><ref-type>17</ref-type><contributors><authors><author><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">Axelle Timmerman</style></author><author><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">Margot Balcaen</style></author><author><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">Vera Coopman</style></author><author><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">Maarten Degreef</style></author><author><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">Eline Pottie</style></author><author><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">Christophe Stove</style></author></authors></contributors><titles><title><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">Activity-based detection of synthetic cannabinoid receptor agonists in plant materials</style></title><secondary-title><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">Harm Reduct J.</style></secondary-title></titles><keywords><keyword><style  face="normal" font="default" size="100%">Adulterated cannabis; CB1 cannabinoid receptor bioassay; Harm reduction; New psychoactive substances (NPS); Synthetic cannabinoid receptor agonists (SCRAs); Untargeted screening</style></keyword></keywords><dates><year><style  face="normal" font="default" size="100%">2024</style></year></dates><language><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">eng</style></language><abstract><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">&lt;p&gt;Abstract&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;Background: Since late 2019, fortification of 'regular' cannabis plant material with synthetic cannabinoid receptor agonists (SCRAs) has become a notable phenomenon on the drug market. As many SCRAs pose a higher health risk than genuine cannabis, recognizing SCRA-adulterated cannabis is important from a harm reduction perspective. However, this is not always an easy task as adulterated cannabis may only be distinguished from genuine cannabis by dedicated, often expensive and time-consuming analytical techniques. In addition, the dynamic nature of the SCRA market renders identification of fortified samples a challenging task. Therefore, we established and applied an in vitro cannabinoid receptor 1 (CB1) activity-based procedure to screen plant material for the presence of SCRAs.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;Methods: The assay principle relies on the functional complementation of a split-nanoluciferase following recruitment of β-arrestin 2 to activated CB1. A straightforward sample preparation, encompassing methanolic extraction and dilution, was optimized for plant matrices, including cannabis, spiked with 5 µg/mg of the SCRA CP55,940.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;Results: The bioassay successfully detected all samples of a set (n = 24) of analytically confirmed authentic Spice products, additionally providing relevant information on the 'strength' of a preparation and whether different samples may have originated from separate batches or possibly the same production batch. Finally, the methodology was applied to assess the occurrence of SCRA adulteration in a large set (n = 252) of herbal materials collected at an international dance festival. This did not reveal any positives, i.e. there were no samples that yielded a relevant CB1 activation.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;Conclusion: In summary, we established SCRA screening of herbal materials as a new application for the activity-based CB1 bioassay. The simplicity of the sample preparation, the rapid results and the universal character of the bioassay render it an effective and future-proof tool for evaluating herbal materials for the presence of SCRAs, which is relevant in the context of harm reduction.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;Keywords: Adulterated cannabis; CB1 cannabinoid receptor bioassay; Harm reduction; New psychoactive substances (NPS); Synthetic cannabinoid receptor agonists (SCRAs); Untargeted screening.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;© 2024. The Author(s).&lt;/p&gt;
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