Toxicological investigation of forensic cases related to the designer drug 3,4-methylenedioxypyrovalerone (MDPV): Detection, quantification and studies on human metabolism by GC–MS

Abstract 3,4-methylenedioxypyrovalerone (MDPV) is a synthetic cathinone belonging to the class of α-pyrrolidinophenones that become increasingly popular as a designer psychostimulant. Here, we report a comprehensive collection of MDPV exposure with quantitative serum level confirmation in Germany. During the years 2014–2016, we could proof consumption of MDPV in 23 cases where urine and blood samples were submitted to our laboratory by the police of Lower Saxony. Most of the samples underwent systematic toxicological analysis by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS), where MDPV could be detected in urine and/or serum samples. The determined concentrations of MDPV in serum showed a high variability, ranging from traces ( N , N -bisdealkyl-MDPV. The metabolite pattern substantiates previous suggestions for principle metabolic pathways of MDPV in humans.