Effects of Tramadol on the Development of Lucilia sericata (Diptera: Calliphoridae) and Detection of the Drug Concentration in Postmortem Rabbit Tissues and Larvae

摘要

The present study was conducted to investigate the tramadol impact on the larval development of Lucilia sericata. Larvae of the green bottle blow fly Lucilia sericata (Meigen) were reared on rabbit carcasses treated with tramadol at concentrations; 550, 1100 and 2200 mg kg-1 through oral doses. These concentrations were similar to those normally encountered in cases of death due to tramadol overdoses. Tramadol was detected in studied tissues and larvae by using High Performance Liquid Chromatography(HPLC). The concentrations of tramadol in various tissues were significantly increased with the initial dosage. Concentrations of tramadol in larvae were significantly lower than those found in tissues. The maximum sizes were attained earlier in larvae reared in rabbits treated with tramadol than those reared on the control rabbit. However, the total developmental period increased significantly with increasing the initial administrated dosage. Therefore, care must be taken in fatal tramadol cases and toxicological analysis of tissues and larvae, or both should be completed before final estimating of postmortem interval (PMI).