Jun Ma

Etomidate is an ultrashort-acting imidazole-derived intravenous anesthetic. The non-medical abuse of etomidate as a new psychoactive substance has emerged as a critical public health challenge globally, particularly among adolescents, necessitating sensitive, rapid detection methods for forensic analysis. This study developed a quantum dot-based immunochromatographic test strip and a corresponding rapid detection method for the sensitive detection of etomidate acid in urine. CdSe/ZnS fluorescent quantum dot microspheres were used as labeling probes combined with specific monoclonal antibodies, and the detection protocol utilized a portable fluorescence reader. The method’s validation demonstrated a linear range of 10–2000 ng/mL (y = −0.231lnx + 0.5241, r = −0.991), with intra-batch and inter-batch coefficients of variation below 12%. The spike recovery rates ranged from 88.24% to 95.69%. Cross-reactivity testing against 12 common drugs and structural analogs showed no interference. The detection limit of 10 ng/mL represents a substantial improvement over conventional colloidal gold strips and approaches LC-MS/MS sensitivity. Assays of real urine specimens confirmed that the immunochromatographic test strip and detection method possess favorable accuracy and reliability. This fluorescent quantum dot-based immunochromatographic assay provides rapid, quantitative, and highly specific etomidate screening suitable for on-site forensic applications, effectively bridging front-end rapid testing with confirmatory laboratory analysis.

The abuse of γ-hydroxybutyric acid (GHB) and its precursors, γ-butyrolactone (GBL) and 1,4-butanediol (1,4-BD), has increased in recent years, with these substances frequently being illicitly added to beverages. GHB is colorless and odorless and exhibits anesthetic and hypnotic psychoactive effects, which are often exploited in drug-facilitated sexual assault, posing a significant public safety concern. Chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry is a conventional analytical approach for narcotic drug determination due to its high sensitivity and accuracy; however, its large instrumentation footprint and high operational cost limit its suitability for on-site rapid screening. In response to the growing demand for field-deployable analytical tools, rapid detection technologies for GHB have progressively evolved. This review summarizes and compares the advantages and limitations of current rapid detection methods for GHB and discusses their potential future developmental trends, with the aim of providing a reference for researchers and relevant authorities.