Application of High-Performance Liquid Chromatography/Mass Spectrometry to Drug Screening

Abstract

High-performance liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry enabled us not only to measure bromvalerylurea rapidly, < or = 2 h following accumulation of human bone marrow, but also to improve sensitivity without interference. The method can be widely and effectively used in the fields of pharmacy and forensic sciences.

Method for Screening and Quantitative Determination of Serum Levels of Salicylic Acid, Acetaminophen, Theophylline, Phenobarbital, Bromvalerylurea, Pentobarbital, and Amobarbital Using Liquid Chromatography/Electrospray Mass Spectrometry

“…However, in the case of bromvalerylurea, there are currently no research reports on the concentration range that should be determined as an aid to treatment. The present method allows for the determination of bromvalerylurea concentrations as low as 1 mg/ml, which is superior to the LC/MS method of Higuchi et al, 13) which has a lower detection limit of 10 mg/ml. Among the blood concentrations reported in acute poisoning victims, Maguchi 19) reported that the concentration of bromides in body fluid in acute intoxication ranged from 20 to 50 mg/ml, indicating that the bromvalerylurea concentration in the blood was in the range of 55.8-140 mg/ml, whereas Nagata et al 12) found a blood level of bromvalerylurea of 2.31 mg/ml, which is sufficiently high to require treatment, in a patient who died after ingesting it.…”

“…LC/MS methods of analysis for salicylic acid, 6) acetaminophen, [6][7][8] theophylline, 9,10) barbiturates, 11) and bromvalerylurea [12][13][14] have been reported, but our examination of the literature has not revealed any method of simultaneous analysis for all of these from biological samples.…”

State-of-the-art of bone marrow analysis in forensic toxicology: a review

“…Higuchi et al [68] reported a very similar case of bromisovalum impregnation in BM (95.4 μg/g), suggesting an overdose in the light of the circumstances of death and [57] quantified amphetamine and methamphetamine in the BM of a methamphetamine abuser killed by strangulation and whose corpse lay buried for 5 years. Referring to a published schedule of effects according to amphetamine plus methamphetamine blood level, the authors suggested that the victim was, at the moment of his death, in an intermediate state of intoxication with mental disorder, if not a more severe state, given that some studies showed that amphetamine levels are usually lower in fatty tissue than in blood.…”

“…In at least six case reports [55,57,[65][66][67][68], toxicological findings were restricted to skeletal tissue analysis. They concerned corpses discovered in skeleton state, 7 months to 5 years after their disappearance.…”