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. 2016 Dec;12(4):341-349.
doi: 10.1007/s13181-016-0588-y. Epub 2016 Oct 17.

Suspected Adulteration of Commercial Kratom Products with 7-Hydroxymitragynine

Alicia G Lydecker  1 , Abhisheak Sharma  2 , Christopher R McCurdy  3 , Bonnie A Avery  2   3 , Kavita M Babu  4 , Edward W Boyer  4
Affiliations

Suspected Adulteration of Commercial Kratom Products with 7-Hydroxymitragynine

Alicia G Lydecker et al. J Med Toxicol. 2016 Dec.

Abstract

Introduction: Kratom (Mitragyna speciosa), a plant native to Southeast Asia, has been used for centuries for its stimulant and opium-like effects. Mitragynine and 7-hydroxymitragynine, exclusive to M. speciosa, are the alkaloids primary responsible for Kratom's biologic and psychoactive profile, and likely contribute to its problematic use. We purchased several commercially available Kratom analogs for analysis and through our results, present evidence of probable adulteration with the highly potent and addictive plant alkaloid, 7-hydroxymitragynine.

Methods: A simple and sensitive LC-MS/MS method was developed for simultaneous quantification of mitragynine and 7-hydroxymitragynine in methanol extract of marketed Kratom supplements.

Results: We found multiple commercial Kratom products to have concentrations of 7-hydroxymitragynine that are substantially higher than those found in raw M. speciosa leaves.

Conclusions: We have found multiple packaged commercial Kratom products likely to contain artificially elevated concentrations of 7-hydroxymitragynine, the alkaloid responsible for M. speciosa's concerning mechanistic and side effect profile. This study describes a unique form of product adulteration, which stresses the importance of increased dietary supplement oversight of Kratom-containing supplements.

Keywords: 7-Hydroxymitragynine; Drugs of abuse; Kratom; Mitragyna speciosa; Mitragynine.

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Conflict of interest statement

Authors AL, AS, CM, and BA declare that they have no conflict of interest. Authors KB and EB provide medico-legal consultation and receive royalties from UpToDate. Author EB also participates in an NIH-funded research on drugs of abuse. Sources of Funding This study was funded by the Center of Research Excellence in Natural Products Neuroscience (CORE-NPN), Grant Number P20GM104932, which is funded by the National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS) at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) as one of its Centers of Biomedical Research Excellence (COBRE).

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Structures of mitragynine and 7-hydroxymitragynine
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Product ion spectra of a mitragynine (m/z 399.39), b 7-hydroxymitragynine (415.34), and c internal standard (m/z 294.37)
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
Representative MRM chromatogram of a mitragynine (1.0 ng/mL; LLOQ), b 7-hydroxymitragynine (1.0 ng/mL; LLOQ), and c IS (10 ng/mL)
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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