A Review on the recent development and detection of etomidate as a component of "added e-cigarette"

Etomidate, a synthetic imidazole-based anesthetic, was once widely used in clinical anesthesia due to its rapid onset and minimal impact on respiratory and circulatory functions. However, in recent years, it has been illegally added to carriers such as e-cigarettes and abused as a new psychoactive substance, posing serious risks to the physical and mental health of adolescents and social stability. This review systematically outlines the chemical structure, pharmacological effects, and metabolic mechanisms of etomidate, with a focus on summarizing the latest advances in detection technologies for both biological samples (blood, urine, hair) and non-biological samples (e-cigarettes liquid, wastewater, airborne particulate matter). These techniques include chromatography-mass spectrometry, ion mobility spectrometry, spectrometry and others, covering their principles, advantages, limitations, and current applications. Furthermore, the progress of functional materials in the detection of etomidate is also elaborated. While significant progress has been made in detection methodologies, challenges remain in areas such as simplifying sample pretreatment, enabling high-throughput screening, and developing on-site rapid detection tools. This article aims to provide a theoretical reference for the scientific detection and control of etomidate and to offer perspectives on future research directions.