Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39644381›Full record

ArticleAnalytical and bioanalytical chemistry2025

Quantification of 11 kratom alkaloids including mitragynine and its main metabolites in human plasma using LC-MS/MS.

Cristina Sempio, Jorge Campos-Palomino, Jelena Klawitter, Wanzhu Zhao, Marilyn A Huestis, Uwe Christians, Jost Klawitter

Abstract readValidation Study
PubMed Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in Analytical and bioanalytical chemistry, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
3citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
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

3 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. Interpol review of forensic drug chemistry, 2022-2025.Forensic science international. Synergy · 2026
    Review
  3. Article
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.

Cristina SempioiC42 Clinical Research and Development, Department of Anesthesiology, Anschutz Medical Campus, University of Colorado, 12705 E Montview Blvd, Suite 200, Aurora, CO, 80045, USA. cristina.sempio@cuanschutz.edu.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-8095-612X
Jorge Campos-PalominoiC42 Clinical Research and Development, Department of Anesthesiology, Anschutz Medical Campus, University of Colorado, 12705 E Montview Blvd, Suite 200, Aurora, CO, 80045, USA.
Jelena KlawitteriC42 Clinical Research and Development, Department of Anesthesiology, Anschutz Medical Campus, University of Colorado, 12705 E Montview Blvd, Suite 200, Aurora, CO, 80045, USA.
Wanzhu ZhaoiC42 Clinical Research and Development, Department of Anesthesiology, Anschutz Medical Campus, University of Colorado, 12705 E Montview Blvd, Suite 200, Aurora, CO, 80045, USA.
Marilyn A HuestisInstitute for Emerging Health Professions, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
Uwe ChristiansiC42 Clinical Research and Development, Department of Anesthesiology, Anschutz Medical Campus, University of Colorado, 12705 E Montview Blvd, Suite 200, Aurora, CO, 80045, USA.
Jost KlawitteriC42 Clinical Research and Development, Department of Anesthesiology, Anschutz Medical Campus, University of Colorado, 12705 E Montview Blvd, Suite 200, Aurora, CO, 80045, USA.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Recently in the USA, kratom consumers increasingly report use of the plant for self-treatment of mood ailments, the lack of energy, chronic pain, and opioid withdrawal and dependence. Several alkaloids are present in kratom leaves, but limited data are available on their pharmacokinetics/pharmacodynamics, except for mitragynine. To support clinical studies, a high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry assay for the simultaneous quantification of 11 kratom alkaloids in human plasma was developed and validated. For calibration standards and quality control samples, human plasma was fortified with alkaloids at varying concentrations, and 200 µL were extracted employing a simple one-step protein precipitation procedure. The extracts were analyzed using LC-MS/MS including electrospray ionization (ESI) in positive multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) mode. The lower limit of quantification was 0.5 ng/mL, and the upper limit of quantification was 400 ng/mL for all analytes. Inter-day analytical accuracy and imprecision ranged from 98.4 to 113% of nominal and from 3.9 to 14.7% (coefficient of variance), respectively. The analysis of plasma samples collected during a clinical trial administering capsules containing kratom leaf extract showed that most samples had quantifiable concentrations of mitragynine, 7-OH-mitragynine, speciogynine, speciociliatine, and paynantheine and that mitragynine, speciogynine, and speciociliatine accumulated in human plasma after daily administration over 15 days. An LC-MS/MS assay for the specific quantification of kratom alkaloids including mitragynine and its main metabolites was developed and successfully validated in human plasma. Human plasma samples collected following multiple oral administrations of a controlled Kratom extract documented accumulation of kratom alkaloids over 15 days.

Indexed as

AlkaloidsMitragynaSecologanin Tryptamine AlkaloidsTandem Mass SpectrometryChromatography, High Pressure LiquidChromatography, LiquidHumansLimit of DetectionLiquid Chromatography-Mass SpectrometryPlant ExtractsPlant LeavesReproducibility of ResultsAlkaloidsmitragyninePlant ExtractsSecologanin Tryptamine AlkaloidsKratomLC-MS/MSMitragyninePharmacokinetics

Identifiers

What Socratic 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 Socratic graph.