Detection of JWH-018 and JWH-073 by UPLC-MS-MS in Postmortem Whole Blood Casework

Abstract

Synthetic cannabinoids have been detected in various herbal blends sold legally in convenience stores, smoke shops, and on the Internet. Many of these compounds have extreme forensic significance. We developed and validated a rapid ultra-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry method for the determination of trace concentrations of two of these compounds, JWH-018 and JWH-073, in human blood. Samples underwent liquid-liquid extraction at pH 10.2 into ethyl ether. Tandem mass spectrometry was performed in positive electrospray ionization mode with multiple reaction monitoring using two transitions and one calculated ion transition ratio for each analyte. Deuterated analogs were used as internal standards. Total run time was 2.6 min. The linear dynamic range was 0.05-50 ng/mL with a limit of detection of 0.01 ng/mL for each analyte. Intra-run imprecision (at two different concentration levels, 2 and 8 ng/mL) was 3.9-10.3% for JWH-018 and 3.5-6.2% for JWH-073. Inter-run imprecision was 6.5-7.2% for JWH-018 and 4.8-5.5% for JWH-073. Intra-run accuracy was 95.9-112.7% for JWH-018 and 92.6-104.7% for JWH-073. Inter-run accuracy was 99.1-107.0% for JWH-018 and 97.7-102.0% for JWH-073. Carryover, exogenous drug interferences, ion suppression and matrix selectivity were also assessed. The method has been applied to postmortem forensic casework received by the laboratory and has proven to be robust and reliable. Concentrations of authentic samples have ranged from 0.1-199 ng/mL for JWH-018 and 0.1-68.3 ng/mL for JWH-073.

Postmortem distribution of mepirapim and acetyl fentanyl in biological fluid and solid tissue specimens measured by the standard addition method

“…The concentrations of mepirapim (554-587 ng/ mL) and acetyl fentanyl (170-212 ng/mL) in blood samples were similar to those of our previous study using the usual IS calibration method (mepirapim, 563-593 ng/mL and acetyl fentanyl, 125-155 ng/mL) [4]. As described in our previous report, the concentrations of mepirapim in blood specimens were much higher than those of various other synthetic cannabinoids (0.1-199 ng/mL) in previous reports of poisoning deaths [2,[18][19][20]. On the other hand, the concentrations of acetyl fentanyl in the femoral vein and heart whole blood were at levels relatively similar to those of previous reports; the acetyl fentanyl blood levels in fatal cases were 6-600 ng/mL [10], 250-260 ng/mL [11], 153 ng/mL [12], 270 ng/mL [13], 192-285 ng/mL [14] and 235 ng/mL [15].…”

New challenges in toxicology of new psychoactive substances exemplified by fatal cases after UR-144 and UR-144 with pentedrone administration determined by LC-ESI-MS-MS in blood samples

“…Trzeba podkreślić, że syntetyczne kannabinoidy, ktre mają większą potencję i efektywność działania w porównaniu z ∆ 9 -THC, w pewnym stopniu mogą przyczyniać się pośrednio nawet do zgonów [21,22].…”

“…It is also important to note that synthetic cannabinoids, which are more potent and effective than ∆ 9 -THC, can indirectly contribute to some extent to fatal outcomes [21,22].…”

First Characterization of AKB-48 Metabolism, a Novel Synthetic Cannabinoid, Using Human Hepatocytes and High-Resolution Mass Spectrometry

“…When metabolism is unknown, determining targets for analysis is critical. Several liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) analytical methods are reported for detecting JWH-, AM-, WIN-, and RCS-series of synthetic cannabinoids in whole blood, urine, oral fluid, and hair (8)(9)(10)(11)(12)(13)(14). Many synthetic compounds share structural similarities such as a central indole ring attached by an amide or carbonyl linkage to the naphthyl/phenyl/adamantyl ring.…”