Development and Validation of a Solid-Phase Extraction Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry Method for the Simultaneous Quantification of Opioid Drugs in Human Whole Blood and Plasma

Abstract

A rapid, selective, sensitive, and specific method is presented to simultaneously quantify morphine, 6-monoacetylmorphine (6-MAM), codeine, heroin, fentanyl, and methadone in human whole blood and plasma. The drugs were extracted with phosphate buffer at pH 6, followed by solid-phase extraction (SPE) and quantification by GC/MS with electron impact ionization using helium as carrier gas. Quantification was performed based on nalorphine as internal standard (IS). The specificity, linearity, intra-and inter-assay precision and accuracy, and extraction recovery were fully evaluated. The limits of detection (LODs) were 0.40 -7.63 ng/mL for whole blood and 0.80 -32.00 ng/mL for plasma. The method is fast, simple, and accurate, with the sensitivity and specificity required in forensic and clinical toxicology.

Forensic Cases in the North of Chile: Determination of Antidepressant Drugs in Human Whole Blood

“…Therefore, since a couple of years we are working on the development and validation of chromatographic methods in drug abuse in the North of Chile. [13][14][15] To continue and to broad our research interests, this study incorporates solid-phase extraction and internal standard to provide adequate sensitivity and precision for measuring the several antidepressant drugs, including amitriptyline, imipramine, sertraline, fluoxetine, and citalopram, in forensic cases in the I -IV and XV regions of Chile during 2008-2011. Table 1 shows the linearity, relative standard deviation, limit of detection, limit of quantitation (LOQ), and solid-phase extraction efficiency in human whole blood using GC/MSD and GC/NPD/µECD detector.…”

Validation of a Method to Detect Cocaine and Benzoylecgonine in Human Whole Blood by Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry and Application in Body Packers and Stuffers Cases in the North of Chile

“…We confirmed the usefulness of the Bond Elut Certify column for extraction of abused drugs from biological fluids. 17,18 Table 1 shows the linearity, relative standard deviation, limit of detection (LOD), limit of quantitation (LOQ), and solid-phase extraction efficiency in human whole blood using GC/MS selected ion monitoring. Linearity is the ability of the method to be directly proportional to the concentration of the analytes within a given range.…”

“…15 "Body-stuffers" are individuals who ingest drugs at or around the time of their arrest in order to "swallow the evidence." 16 In the context of the development and validation of chromatographic methods to characterize drug abuse 17,18 , we show in this work the first report of body packers and stuffers cases in the I -IV and XV regions of Chile.…”

Hitting the Jackpot – development of gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS) and other rapid screening methods for the analysis of 18 fentanyl‐derived synthetic opioids

“…The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) have recently published guidelines for the identification and analysis of ( 2b ) and its analogs – primarily focused on their detection within biological samples . Bravo et al, Strano‐Rossi et al ., and Misailidi et al have also independently developed GC–MS methods for the determination of ( 2b ), sufentanil, alfentanil, 2‐furanylfentanyl ( 2o ) and ocfentanil in toxicological/post‐mortem samples, however, surprisingly simple validated GC–MS methods with the ability to separate and quantify an array of fentalogs, for the routine analysis of bulk samples, both in their pure form and in the presence of other controlled substances or adulterants have not yet been reported in the literature.…”