TY - JOUR T1 - Deposition of [<sup>3</sup>H]Cocaine, [<sup>3</sup>H]Nicotine, and [<sup>3</sup>H]Flunitrazepam in Mouse Hair Melanosomes after Systemic Administration JF - Drug Metabolism and Disposition JO - Drug Metab Dispos SP - 731 LP - 735 VL - 27 IS - 6 AU - Peter R. Stout AU - James A. Ruth Y1 - 1999/06/01 UR - http://dmd.aspetjournals.org/content/27/6/731.abstract N2 - Microautoradiography was employed to show that association of drugs from the serum directly with forming hair pigment is a primary pathway of deposition into the hair. After systemic administration of [3H]flunitrazepam, [3H]nicotine, and [3H]cocaine, association of all three drugs with melanin in the forming hair was observed within minutes of dosage. Sebum was determined to be an insignificant deposition route for all three drugs. Pigmented mice had significantly higher concentrations of all three drugs than did nonpigmented mice. The results provide a better basis for ultimately using hair for reliable analysis of drug and environmental toxin exposure. The American Society for Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics ER -