Detection of drugs in paired maternal and umbilical cord blood samples

Abstract

Objectives. The consumption of drugs during pregnancy or delivery leads to pre and intranatal drug exposure of the fetus. The purpose of this study was to examine paired blood samples of the mother and the umbilical cord regarding drug distribution. Methods. Over a period of two years, 22 pregnant women with known or admitted drug use were selected. Paired blood samples of the mothers and the umbilical cord blood were collected shortly before and during birth/caesarean section, respectively. The samples were subjected to systematic immunochemical, HPLC-DAD, GC/MS and LC-MS/MS analysis and compared regarding presence of drugs. Results. Methadone, THC-COOH, tramadol, benzoylecgonine, citalopram, carbamazepine, lamotrigine, perazine, methylphenidate, quetiapine, ranitidine and most constituents of spinal and epidural anaesthesia were found in both, maternal and umbilical cord blood samples. THC, 11-OH-THC, olanzapine, diphenhydramine and telmisartan were found in maternal blood only. Conclusions. As previously shown a variety of drugs is able to pass the placenta of pregnant woman. Umbilical cord blood appears to be a viable matrix for the detection of maternal drug consumption. Drugs administered during labour and birth could be detected in umbilical cord blood. Further studies with a greater collective of women with known drug use including analyses of fetal/infant samples will yield additional information in the future.

Wonder or evil?: Multifaceted health hazards and health benefits of Cannabis sativa and its phytochemicals

“…The THC constituents present in marijuana are capable of transferring from the blood of the mother through the membrane of the placenta to the villi region, which comprises the blood vessels of the fetus. Therefore, when entering THC, it travels through the umbilical cord to the foetus ( Bauer and Lagasse, 2004 , Veit et al, 2017 ).…”

The systems medicine of neonatal abstinence syndrome

“…It is generally accepted that all opioids, particularly lipophilic opioids, can cross the placenta at significant levels. Methadone, which is very lipophilic, has been found in cord blood at levels about half that found in a paired maternal blood sample (34). Buprenorphine is widely used to treat OUD in pregnant women.…”