Evidence map›Paper›PMID 36454404›Full record

ArticleForensic toxicology2022

Comparison between human liver microsomes and the fungus Cunninghamella elegans for biotransformation of the synthetic cannabinoid JWH-424 having a bromo-naphthyl moiety analysed by high-resolution mass spectrometry.

Shimpei Watanabe, Takahiro Iwai, Ritsuko Matsushita, Toshio Nakanishi, Unnikrishnan Kuzhiumparambil, Shanlin Fu, Yasuo Seto

Abstract read
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In one paragraph

Article in Forensic toxicology, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
0.9field-weighted citation impact, top 28% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed, 7 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Interpol review of forensic drug chemistry, 2022-2025.Forensic science international. Synergy · 2026
    Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

7 authors at 2 institutions in 2 countries.

Shimpei WatanabeForensic Science Group, Photon Science Research Division, RIKEN SPring-8 Center, Physical Science Research Building, 1-1-1 Kouto, Sayo-cho, Sayo-gun, Hyogo, 679-5148, Japan. shimpei.watanabe@spring8.or.jp.ORCID 0000-0001-5211-3283
Takahiro IwaiForensic Science Group, Photon Science Research Division, RIKEN SPring-8 Center, Physical Science Research Building, 1-1-1 Kouto, Sayo-cho, Sayo-gun, Hyogo, 679-5148, Japan.ORCID 0000-0002-5537-6588
Ritsuko MatsushitaForensic Science Group, Photon Science Research Division, RIKEN SPring-8 Center, Physical Science Research Building, 1-1-1 Kouto, Sayo-cho, Sayo-gun, Hyogo, 679-5148, Japan.
Toshio NakanishiForensic Science Group, Photon Science Research Division, RIKEN SPring-8 Center, Physical Science Research Building, 1-1-1 Kouto, Sayo-cho, Sayo-gun, Hyogo, 679-5148, Japan.
Unnikrishnan KuzhiumparambilClimate Change Cluster, University of Technology Sydney, PO Box 123, Broadway, NSW, 2007, Australia.ORCID 0000-0003-0582-6779
Shanlin FuCentre for Forensic Science, University of Technology Sydney, PO Box 123, Broadway, NSW, 2007, Australia.ORCID 0000-0002-6238-3612
Yasuo SetoForensic Science Group, Photon Science Research Division, RIKEN SPring-8 Center, Physical Science Research Building, 1-1-1 Kouto, Sayo-cho, Sayo-gun, Hyogo, 679-5148, Japan.ORCID 0000-0002-0983-4162
SPring-8 · JPUniversity of Technology Sydney · AU

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

purposeJWH-424, (8-bromo-1-naphthyl)(1-pentyl-1H-indol-3-yl)methanone, is a synthetic cannabinoid, which is a brominated analogue of JWH-018, one of the best-known synthetic cannabinoids. Despite the structural similarity to JWH-018, little is known about JWH-424 including its metabolism. The aim of the study was to compare human liver microsomes (HLM) and the fungus Cunninghamella elegans as the metabolism catalysts for JWH-424 to better understand the characteristic actions of the fungus in the synthetic cannabinoid metabolism.

methodsJWH-424 was incubated with HLM for 1 h and Cunninghamella elegans for up to 72 h. The HLM incubation mixtures were diluted with methanol and fungal incubation mixtures were extracted with dichloromethane and reconstituted in methanol before analyses by liquid chromatography-high-resolution mass spectrometry (LC-HRMS).

resultsHLM incubation resulted in production of ten metabolites through dihydrodiol formation, hydroxylation, and/or ipso substitution of the bromine with a hydroxy group. Fungal incubation led to production of 23 metabolites through carboxylation, dihydrodiol formation, hydroxylation, ketone formation, glucosidation and/or sulfation.

conclusionsGenerally, HLM models give good predictions of human metabolites and structural analogues are metabolised in a similar fashion. However, major hydroxy metabolites produced by HLM were those hydroxylated at naphthalene instead of pentyl moiety, the major site of hydroxylation for JWH-018. Fungal metabolites, on the other hand, had undergone hydroxylation mainly at pentyl moiety. The metabolic disagreement suggests the necessity to verify the human metabolites in authentic urine samples, while H9 and H10 (hydroxynaphthalene), H8 (ipso substitution), F22 (hydroxypentyl), and F17 (dihydroxypentyl) are recommended for monitoring of JWH-424 in urinalysis.

Indexed as

CannabinoidsCunninghamellaBiotransformationHumansIndolesMass SpectrometryMethanolMicrosomes, LiverNaphthalenes1-pentyl-3-(1-naphthoyl)indoleCannabinoidsIndolesMethanolNaphthalenestrans-1,2-dihydro-1,2-naphthalenediolCunninghamella elegansHuman liver microsomes (HLM)Ipso substitution of bromineJWH-424 (8-bromo-1-naphthyl)(1-pentyl-1H-indol-3-yl)methanoneLiquid chromatography–high-resolution mass spectrometry (LC–HRMS)Synthetic cannabinoid metabolism

Identifiers

PMID36454404
OpenAlexW4213010091

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.