L’utilizzo della matrice urinaria in tossicologia forense

The use of urine matrix in forensic toxicology The analysis of conventional (such as blood and urine) and unconventional (such as hair, saliva, sweat) biological matrices allows to detect substances of abuse at different time windows of exposure and provides an important support to forensic toxicology examinations. In this review, the use of the urine matrix in the determination of psychoactive substances and the employed analytical techniques are reported, identifying their advantages and disadvantages, considering also the challenges faced in the investigation on New Psychoactive Substances (NPS). Urine samples are the prevalently used in clinical and forensic toxicology for a number of reasosns: the collection is not invasive, large volumes can be easily obtained, it is possible to analyze exogenous substances and their metabolites after several days of intake. Liquid chromatography and gas chromatography are the most used techniques for screening tests in forensic toxicology since both techniques allow to identify the chemical structure of the analytes under investigation, to distinguish and quantify related substances and their metabolites. In forensic toxicology, the detection of substances of abuse in the urine matrix requires to strictly adhere to definite criteria and steps, from the collection of the sample to its final storage.