engleski

Drugs of abuse analysis by GC/MS technique - Acquired experience and application

There are a great number of rapid, relatively cheap, commercial screening assays for drugs of abuse testing in urine. They are used to identify presumably positive samples. Recommended analytical protocol demands confirmation of the positive samples by a more specific and more sensitive method. For this purpose quantitative methods for simultaneous determination of particular drugs/metabolites in urine by gas chromatography - mass spectrometry (GC/MS) were developed: 1) morphine, codeine and 6-acetylmorphine - indicators of morphine, codeine and heroin consumption; 2) 11-nor-9-tetrahydrocannabinol-9-carboxylic acid (THCCOOH) - indicator of marijuana/hashish consumption; 3) cocaine, benzoylecgonine and ecgonine methyl ester - indicators of cocaine consumption and 4) amphetamine; methamphetamine; 3,4-methylendioxyamphetamine (MDA); 3,4-methylendioxymethamphetamine (MDMA, Ecstasy) and 3,4-methylendioxyethylamphetamine (MDEA) - indicators of consumption of those same substances. The methods include solid phase extraction of urine, concentration of eluent, derivatization and quantitative analysis by GC/MS on capillary column, in the electron-impact and selected ion-monitoring mode. Sensitivity, reproducibility and accuracy are determined for all analytes. Accuracy of determination is controlled by analysis of Standard Referent Samples and participation in an international quality assessment program. The developed methods were applied in analysis of urine in 45 subjects suspected of drug abuse. THCCOOH was found in 16 urine samples, and THCCOOH and MDMA in one sample. Morphine was present in 9; codeine in 7; benzoylecgonine and ecgonine methyl ester in one, and cocaine, benzoylecgonine, ecgonine methyl ester, morphine and codeine in one urine sample. Negative findings of drugs of abuse in 11 urine samples indicate several disadvantages of urine as a biological sample which are discussed in this paper.

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