ISSN: 0022-1198
CODEN: JFSCA
Published Online: 1 January 2005
Page Count: 6

Disposition of Quetiapine in Biological Specimens from Postmortem Cases
Jenkins, AJ
The Office of the Cuyahoga County Coroner, OH

Wise, S
Ohio University, OH

(Received 22 February 2004; accepted 26 August 2004)

Abstract

Quetiapine is a new atypical antipsychotic that was approved in 1997 by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of schizophrenia. It possesses a high affinity for 5-HT² receptors and a low affinity for D¹ and D² dopamine receptors. Because quetiapine has only been released recently to the U.S. market, little information exists regarding therapeutic, toxic, and lethal concentrations. This study reports the detection of quetiapine in 13 postmortem cases. Following a basic liquid-liquid extraction, quetiapine was identified and quantitated by capillary gas chromatography with nitrogen phosphorus detection. Confirmation was accomplished by full scan electron impact gas chromatography/mass spectrometry. Heart blood quetiapine concentrations ranged from 0.07 to 18.37 mg/L (N = 12, mean ± SD = 3.42 ± 5.67, median 0.62) and femoral blood concentrations ranged from 0.06 to 19.25 mg/L (N = 10, mean ± SD= 3.89 ± 6.12, median 0.81). The average heart blood/femoral blood ratio was 1.31 (range 0.55 to 2.57, N = 10). Urine, bile, and gastric contents were assayed in all cases in which they were submitted. In three cases, the cause of death was determined to be quetiapine toxicity. In these cases heart blood concentrations ranged from 0.72 to 18.37 mg/L (N = 3). These data may provide a basis for establishing levels associated with quetiapine toxicity as well as therapeutic concentrations in postmortem specimens.

Keywords:
forensic science, postmortem, quetiapine

Paper ID: JFS2004068
DOI: 10.1520/JFS2004068
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