Squalene in hair--a natural reference substance for the improved interpretation of fatty acid ethyl ester concentrations with respect to alcohol misuse.

Abstract

Fatty acid ethyl esters (FAEE) are incorporated into hair mainly from sebum. For this reason, the use of their concentration CFAEE as marker of excessive alcohol consumption is complicated by interindividual differences of the activity of the sebum glands and of elimination by hair care and hair cosmetics. Furthermore, an influence of the investigated hair length due to increasing accumulation from proximal to distal was found. Therefore, it was examined whether these sources of error can be avoided if in addition to CFAEE the relative FAEE concentrations CFAEE/CSQ related to squalene SQ as a natural reference compound were used for interpretation. Sebum contains about 10-20% SQ. A sensitive and reliable method for the determination of SQ in addition to FAEE from the same hair extracts by high performance liquid chromatography with photo diode array detector (HPLC-DAD) was developed. The concentrations of ethyl myristate, ethyl palmitate, ethyl oleate, ethyl stearate and squalene were determined and CFAEE/CSQ was calculated for 13 teetotallers, 16 social drinkers, 12 fatalities with excessive alcohol abuse at life time and 9 cases with unclear alcohol anamnesis. CSQ ranged from 0.02 to 1.97 microg/mg (mean 0.67 microg/mg). From the results follows that squalene enables a control of the lipid content of hair and a correction of CFAEE in cases with deviations from the usual lipid content in a similar way as creatinine in urine. Preliminary values of CFAEE/CSQ were suggested for the upper limit for teetotallers (< 0.6 ng/microg) and the lower limit for excessive alcohol abuse (> 1.5 ng/microg). However, the relative concentration CFAEE/CSQ cannot completely replace the absolute concentration CFAEE, and both should regularly be used for an improved interpretation with respect to alcohol abuse.

• Authors: V Auwärter, B Kiessling, F Pragst
• Journal: Forensic science international (Forensic Sci Int) Vol. 145 Issue 2-3 Pg. 149-59 (Oct 29 2004) ISSN: 0379-0738 [Print] Ireland
• PMID: 15451087 (Publication Type: Journal Article, Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't)

Chemical References

• Biomarkers
• Fatty Acids
• Lipids
• Squalene

Topics

• Adult
• Aged
• Aged, 80 and over
• Alcohol Drinking
• Alcoholism (diagnosis)
• Biomarkers (analysis)
• Child
• Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid
• Fatty Acids (analysis)
• Female
• Forensic Medicine (methods)
• Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry
• Hair (chemistry)
• Humans
• Lipids (analysis)
• Male
• Middle Aged
• Molecular Structure
• Squalene (analysis, chemistry)
• Substance Abuse Detection (methods)