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Detection of colchicine by means of LC-MS/MS after mistaking meadow saffron for bear's garlic

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Abstract

The accidental ingestion of plant material containing colchicines is a rare cause of lethal poisoning. The death of a married couple who mistook colchicines for Bear's garlic (Allium ursinum) and prepared the latter as a salad is the tragic topic of this article. After discussing the specificity of the histological findings, a chemicotoxicological method using liquid chromatographic mass spectrometric (LC-MS/MS) is presented. Toxicological analyses using LC-MS/MS revealed colchicine concentrations between 36.6 ng/mL and 98.3 ng/mL in the heart blood and between 22.7 ng/mL and 78.4 ng/mL in the femoral blood of the victims.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Legal Medicine, Bonn

    Frank Mußhoff

  2. The University Children's Clinic, Tübingen, Germany

    David D. Martin

  3. Institute for Legal Medicine Tübingen, Nägelestraße 5, D-72074, Tübingen, Germany

    Frank Wehner, Martin M. Schulz & Heinz-Dieter Wehner

Authors
  1. Frank Wehner
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  2. Frank Mußhoff
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  3. Martin M. Schulz
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  4. David D. Martin
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  5. Heinz-Dieter Wehner
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Correspondence to Frank Wehner.

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Wehner, F., Mußhoff, F., Schulz, M.M. et al. Detection of colchicine by means of LC-MS/MS after mistaking meadow saffron for bear's garlic. Forens Sci Med Pathol 2, 193–197 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12024-006-0009-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12024-006-0009-7

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