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Vol. 38 No. 6 (2026): Vol. 38 Issue No 6, 2026

Copyright (c) 2026 Nandini Katare, Kavya Priya L, Christinal Jeniffer J, Kiruthika S, Shweta Singh

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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Analytical Strategies for Identifying DFSA Drugs Across Biological and Non-Biological Matrices: A Systematic Review

https://doi.org/10.14233/ajchem.2026.35494
L. Kavya Priya
Department of Forensic Science, Kristu Jayanti (Deemed To Be University), Bengaluru-560077, India
https://orcid.org/0009-0000-8605-0719
J. Christinal Jeniffer
Department of Forensic Science, Kristu Jayanti (Deemed To Be University), Bengaluru-560077, India
https://orcid.org/0009-0001-6784-7519
S. Kiruthika
Department of Forensic Science, Kristu Jayanti (Deemed To Be University), Bengaluru-560077, India
https://orcid.org/0009-0008-5215-8404
Shweta Singh
Department of Forensic Science, Kristu Jayanti (Deemed To Be University), Bengaluru-560077, India
https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8089-3467
Nandini Katare
Department of Forensic Science, Kristu Jayanti (Deemed To Be University), Bengaluru-560077, India
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1235-5488

Corresponding Author(s) : Nandini Katare

nandini.psharma79@gmail.com

Asian Journal of Chemistry, Vol. 38 No. 6 (2026): Vol. 38 Issue No 6, 2026

Abstract

Drug-facilitated sexual assault (DFSA) involves the covert administration of psychoactive substances commonly benzodiazepines, γ-hydroxybutyrate (GHB), ketamine and related sedatives to incapacitate victims and impair resistance and memory. These drugs are often present at trace levels, rapidly metabolised and may be detected long after the assault, making their analytical identification both challenging and crucial in legal investigations. The present systematic review reports recent advances in the detection, separation and quantification of DFSA-related drugs across diverse matrices including biological fluids (blood, urine, plasma, breastmilk), beverages, dried blood spots and surface residues. Analytical strategies evaluated chromatographic, spectrometric, spectroscopic, electrochemical and microextraction-based methods, with strong emphasis on hyphenated approaches such as GC-MS, LC-MS/MS, UHPLC-HRMS, Raman spectroscopy, FTIR and voltammetry-based portable sensing platforms. The findings indicate that emerging analytical approaches, particularly dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction (DLLME), microextraction by packed sorbent (MEPS), microwave-assisted extraction, electrochemical paper-based devices, and dried blood spot (DBS) workflows, provide improved sensitivity, reduced sample volume requirements and rapid screening capability for both laboratory-based and field forensic investigations. The review further demonstrates that no individual analytical method is equally effective for all biological matrices; however, the combination of advanced extraction strategies with high-resolution analytical instrumentation substantially enhances the detection of low-concentration DFSA compounds. These observations highlight the growing importance of modern analytical technologies in enabling accurate and timely identification of DFSA agents, thereby supporting more reliable medico-legal investigations in cases of sexual assault.

Keywords

Date-rape drugs Spectroscopy Biological fluids Beverages Benzodiazepines
(1)
Priya, L. K.; Jeniffer, J. C.; Kiruthika, S.; Singh, S.; Katare, N. Analytical Strategies for Identifying DFSA Drugs Across Biological and Non-Biological Matrices: A Systematic Review. ajc 2026, 38, 1386-1392.
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