A fast and simple approach for the quantification of 40 illicit drugs, medicines, and pesticides in blood and urine samples by UHPLC-MS/MS

Illicit drugs in Brazil: environmental consequences and consumption patterns

This article reviews the literature on the consumption, street drug analysis, distribution, and main environmental impacts of illicit drugs in Brazil and analyzes the III National Survey on Drug Use by the Brazilian Population. The literature review is based on articles published in national and international journals between 2018 and 2023. This review consists of two analyses, the first of which addresses publications from the last 6 years on the monitoring of illicit drugs in Brazil and a second analysis based on the III National Survey on Drug Use that addresses the different possibilities of contact with drugs. The results revealed that the Southeast region of Brazil has the highest number of studies on the subject, especially in the state of São Paulo, while the North and Northeast regions have the lowest number of studies. The Midwest regions only have studies in the federal capital city, Brasília, while no studies were found in states bordering countries that produce illicit drugs, such as Paraguay and Bolivia. Analytical methods that use the concept of miniaturization, green chemistry, and the adoption of acceptance methods are frequent in most articles. Chemometric and statistical tools are widely used for the analysis, development, and conclusion of identification and quantification methods. Among the articles studied, there was a predominance in the analysis of cocaine metabolites and cannabis metabolites in the aquatic environment, where their concentrations ranged from 0.01 to 2000 ng L-1. Studies also reported bioaccumulation in marine biota with concentrations of up to 4.58 µg kg-1 for mussels and sediments, posing a risk to algae, crustaceans, and fish. Furthermore, the data show that the consumption of illicit drugs is increasing in Brazil, especially among young people.

Determination of pesticide residues in urine by chromatography-mass spectrometry: methods and applications

Introduction

Pollution has emerged as a significant threat to humanity, necessitating a thorough evaluation of its impacts. As a result, various methods for human biomonitoring have been proposed as vital tools for assessing, managing, and mitigating exposure risks. Among these methods, urine stands out as the most commonly analyzed biological sample and the primary matrix for biomonitoring studies.

Objectives

This review concentrates on exploring the literature concerning residual pesticide determination in urine, utilizing liquid and gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry, and its practical applications.

Method

The examination focused on methods developed since 2010. Additionally, applications reported between 2015 and 2022 were thoroughly reviewed, utilizing Web of Science as a primary resource.

Synthesis

Recent advancements in chromatography-mass spectrometry technology have significantly enhanced the development of multi-residue methods. These determinations are now capable of simultaneously detecting numerous pesticide residues from various chemical and use classes. Furthermore, these methods encompass analytes from a variety of environmental contaminants, offering a comprehensive approach to biomonitoring. These methodologies have been employed across diverse perspectives, including toxicological studies, assessing pesticide exposure in the general population, occupational exposure among farmers, pest control workers, horticulturists, and florists, as well as investigating consequences during pregnancy and childhood, neurodevelopmental impacts, and reproductive disorders.

Future directions

Such strategies were essential in examining the health risks associated with exposure to complex mixtures, including pesticides and other relevant compounds, thereby painting a broader and more accurate picture of human exposure. Moreover, the implementation of integrated strategies, involving international research initiatives and biomonitoring programs, is crucial to optimize resource utilization, enhancing efficiency in health risk assessment.

A validated dilute-and-shoot LC-MS-MS urine screening for the analysis of 95 illicit drugs and medicines: Insights from clinical and forensic Brazilian cases

Urine toxicological analysis is a relevant tool in both clinical and forensic scenarios, enabling the diagnosis of acute poisonings, elucidation of deaths, verification of substance use in the workplace and identification of drug-facilitated crimes. For these analyses, the dilute-and-shoot technique associated with liquid chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS-MS) is a promising alternative since it has demonstrated satisfactory results and broad applicability. This study developed and validated a comprehensive LC-MS-MS screening method to analyze 95 illicit drugs and medicines in urine samples and application to clinical and forensic Brazilian cases. The dilute-and-shoot protocol was defined through multivariate optimization studies and was set using 100 µL of sample and 300 µL of solvent. The total chromatographic run time was 7.5 min. The method was validated following the recommendations of the ANSI/ASB Standard 036 Guideline. The lower limits of quantification varied from 20 to 100 ng/mL. Within-run and between-run precision coefficient of variations% were <20%, and bias was within ± 20%. Only 4 of the 95 analytes presented significant ionization suppression or enhancement (>25%). As proof of applicability, 839 urine samples from in vivo and postmortem cases were analyzed. In total, 90.9% of the analyzed samples were positive for at least one substance, and 78 of the 95 analytes were detected. The most prevalent substances were lidocaine (40.2%), acetaminophen (38.0%) and benzoylecgonine (31.5%). The developed method proved to be an efficient and simplified alternative for analyzing 95 therapeutic and illicit drugs in urine samples. Additionally, the results obtained from sample analysis are essential for understanding the profile of Brazilian substance use, serving as a valuable database for the promotion of health and safety public policies.

Development of an innovative analytical method for forensic detection of cocaine, antidepressants, and metabolites in postmortem blood using magnetic nanoparticles

Cocaine and antidepressants rank high globally in substance consumption, emphasizing their impact on public health. The determination of these compounds and related substances in biological samples is crucial for forensic toxicology. This study focused on developing an innovative analytical method for the determination of cocaine, antidepressants, and their related metabolites in postmortem blood samples, using unmodified commercial Fe3O4 nanoparticles as a sorbent for dispersive magnetic solid-phase extraction (m-d-SPE), coupled with liquid chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) analysis. An aliquot of 100 µL of whole blood and 5 µL of the internal standard pool were added to 30 mg of nanoparticles. The nanoparticles were separated from the sample using a neodymium magnet inserted into a 3D-printed microtube rack. The liquid was then discarded, followed by desorption with 300 µL of 1/1/1 acetonitrile/methanol/ethyl acetate. The sample was vortexed and separated, and 1.5 µL of the organic supernatant was injected into the LC-MS/MS. The method was acceptably validated and successfully applied to 263 postmortem blood samples. All samples evaluated in this study were positive for at least one substance. The most frequent analyte was benzoylecgonine, followed by cocaine and cocaethylene. The most common antidepressants encountered in the analyzed samples were citalopram and fluoxetine, followed by fluoxetine's metabolite norfluoxetine. This study describes the first report of this sorbent in postmortem blood analysis, demonstrating satisfactory results for linearity, precision, accuracy, and selectivity for all compounds. The method's applicability was confirmed, establishing it as an efficient and sustainable alternative to traditional techniques for forensic casework.

Dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction (DLLME) for determination of tricyclic antidepressants in whole blood and plasma samples and analysis by liquid chromatography with diode array detector (LC-DAD)

Microextractions have been developed for the tricyclic antidepressants (TCAs) analysis in biological matrices, including dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction (DLLME). The proposed DLLME employed 490 µL of biological sample (whole blood or plasma), which were added 15 mg of NaCl, 10 µL of medazepam as internal standard (10 µg/mL) and 100 µL of 2 M NaOH. This mixture was homogenized by vortex (2800 rpm/10 s) and 400 µL of hexane (extractor solvent) with 600 µL of methanol (dispersing solvent) were added to the sample. After the vortex step (2800 rpm/5 s), an ultrasonic bath for 300 s was employed. Then, this content was centrifuged (10 min/10000 rpm), organic phase was collected and dried under air flow. After, 30 µL of the mobile phase was used for resuspension and 20 µL is injected into LC-DAD. This method was optimized and fully validated according to UNODC and SWGTOX guidelines, reaching limits of detection equivalent to analytical methodologies that employ mass spectrometry (MS). Also, it was applied in real cases involving suspected exposure to TCAs. So, the developed DLLME for the determination of TCAs in whole blood and plasma samples proved to be a simple, reliable, robust and reproducible method that can be used in toxicology and clinical laboratories.

Establishment of a modified QuEChERS extraction and liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry method for multiple pesticide residues followed by determination of the residue levels and exposure assessment in livestock urine

The establishment of an analytical method for pesticide residues in livestock urine can realize the real-time monitoring of pesticide pollution in livestock breeding. In this study, a novel method was developed for the determination of 106 pesticide residues in livestock urine based on a modified QuEChERS extraction and liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. Acetonitrile was used to extract target analytes through acidic and alkaline switching of the sample environment. The purification effect of captiva EMR-Lipid on samples was investigated. Three kinds of materials, C18, polar enhanced polymer (PEP), N-propylethylenediamine (PSA), were selected from 20 kinds of materials as adsorbents for QuEChERS. A mass analysis was carried out using simultaneous scanning in both positive and negative ion mode and multiple reaction monitoring mode. All analytes showed good linearity, with correlation coefficients (R2) greater than 0.9923; their limits of quantification were 0.02-1.95 ng/mL. The average recoveries at low, medium, and high spiked levels were in the range of 70.1 %-117.3 %, with intra-day precision ranging from 3.4 % to 16.9 % and inter-day precision ranging from 4.0 % to 19.3 %. The established analytical method was used to analyze the pesticide residue in swine urine and bovine urine collected from farms in Yining, Xinjiang, China. A total of 8 pesticides were detected, and the residue ranged from less than the limit of quantitation to 22.4 ng/mL. The top three pesticides with the highest detection frequency were clothianidin, thiamethoxam, and dinotefuran. The exposure assessment based on the monitored pesticide residue concentration levels showed that the detected pesticides could pose little risk to cattle and pigs.

Simple implementation of muscle tissue into routine workflow of blood analysis in forensic cases - A validated method for quantification of 29 drugs in postmortem blood and muscle samples by UHPLC-MS/MS

Whole blood is most often the matrix of choice for postmortem analysis but it is not always available. In these cases, muscle tissue can be used as an alternative matrix. Therefore, an ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry method for the quantification of 29 drugs and metabolites of toxicological interest in postmortem muscle tissue was developed and validated. Additionally, a validation of whole blood was carried out to compare the results from the two matrices. Solid-phase extraction was performed by an automated robotic system to minimize manual labour and risk of human errors, and increase robustness, sample throughput and sample traceability. The method was validated in terms of selectivity, matrix effect, extraction recovery, process efficiency, measuring range, lower limit of quantification, carry-over, stability, precision and accuracy. To correct for any inter-individual variability in matrix effects on analyte accuracy and precision, deuterated analogues of each analyte were used as internal standards. The lower limit of quantification in both blood and muscle homogenate ranged between 0.002 and 0.005 mg/kg, while the upper limit of quantification spanned from 0.20 to 1.0 mg/kg. Corrected with the 4-fold dilution factor, the corresponding concentrations in muscle tissue were 0.008-0.02 mg/kg at the lower limit of quantification and 0.80-4.0 mg/kg at the upper limit of quantification. The method showed acceptable precision and accuracy, with precision below 12% and accuracies ranging from 87% to 115% at up to 6 levels for all analytes in both matrices. In addition, comparison between calibration standards in spiked muscle homogenate and spiked blood showed that analyte concentrations in muscle samples could be quantified by using spiked blood samples as calibration standards with acceptable precision and accuracy when using deuterated analogues as internal standards. The investigation of matrix effects showed no great difference between blood and homogenates of non-decomposed and decomposed muscle tissue for most analytes. In the samples where high ion suppression or enhancement was observed, the results were corrected by the internal standards. Statistical comparison of quality control samples in blood and muscle tissue showed no obvious differences, and therefore muscle tissue was included in the routine method for analysis of blood samples and used in autopsy cases where no blood was available. By adding a semi-automated homogenization step before the remaining automated sample preparation, muscle tissue samples were easily incorporated into the workflow of the existing routine method. The present method has been successfully implemented in routine analysis of blood and muscle tissue since 2019.

Sample preparation and instrumental methods for illicit drugs in environmental and biological samples: A review

Detection of illicit drugs in the environmental samples has been challenged as the consumption increases globally. Current review examines the recent developments and applications of sample preparation techniques for illicit drugs in solid, liquid, and gas samples. For solid samples, traditional sample preparation methods such as liquid-phase extraction, solid-phase extraction, and the ones with external energy including microwave-assisted, ultrasonic-assisted, and pressurized liquid extraction were commonly used. The sample preparation methods mainly applied for liquid samples were microextraction techniques including solid-phase microextraction, microextraction by packed sorbent, dispersive solid-phase extraction, dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction, hollow fiber-based liquid-phase microextraction, and so on. Capillary microextraction of volatiles and airborne particulate sampling were primarily utilized to extract illicit drugs from gas samples. Besides, the paper introduced recently developed instrumental techniques applied to detect illicit drugs. Liquid chromatograph mass spectrometry and gas chromatograph mass spectrometry were the most widely used methods for illicit drugs samples. In addition, the development of ambient mass spectrometry techniques, such as desorption electrospray ionization mass spectrometry and paper spray mass spectrometry, created potential for rapid in-situ analysis.

The prevalence of liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry confirmed paediatric poisoning at Red Cross War Memorial Children's Hospital, Cape Town, South Africa

Background

Paediatric poisoning is a common presentation to emergency departments worldwide. There is a paucity of data on the role of liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS), in the management of paediatric poisoning in low-and middle-income countries (LMICs). In high-income countries, most studies are retrospective, and few include children.

Objective

The study describes the prevalence of liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry confirmed paediatric poisoning at Red Cross War Memorial Children’s Hospital, Cape Town, South Africa.

Methods

Children admitted with suspected poisoning between 1 January 2017 and 31 December 2017, were recruited. All patients had a urine and/or blood sample sent for LC-MS/MS toxicology. Data collected included demographic data, clinical features, investigations, management, outcome and social interventions.

Results

One hundred fifty-two children, with median age of 39 (IQR 25–61) months were enrolled of which 128 (84%) were poisoning cases. Of the 128 poisoning cases, 88 (69%) presented with a history of ingesting a known substance, 16 (12%) an unknown substance and 24 (19%) were cases of occult poisoning. LC-MS/MS was able to identify a substance in 92% of the cases of occult poisoning. In those who had presented with a seemingly known substance, LC-MS/MS found a different substance in 15 cases. LC-MS/MS was also able to detect multiple drugs in 40 patients. Of the poisoning cases, six (5%) cases were attempted homicide cases and 5 (4%) cases were attempted suicide cases. No children died. Individualized social interventions were instituted in poisoning cases. Emergency placement safety reasons was required in 6 children.

Conclusion

When the limitations are known, LC-MS/MS is useful in identifying cases of occult poisoning, identifying patients who have ingested multiple substances and/or an unknown substance and when targeted towards child protection. As LC-MS/MS is an expensive test, it should be used judiciously in LMICs.

Determination of the alcohol biomarker phosphatidylethanol 16:0/18:1 and 33 compounds from eight different drug classes in whole blood by LC-MS/MS

INTRODUCTION

Most bioanalytical LC-MS/MS methods are developed for determination of single drugs or classes of drugs, but a multi-compound LC-MS/MS method that can replace several methods could reduce both analysis time and costs. The aim of this study was to develop a high-throughput LC-MS/MS method for determination of the alcohol biomarker phosphatidylethanol 16:0/18:1 (PEth 16:0/18:1) and 33 other compounds from eight different drug classes in whole blood.

METHODS

Whole-blood samples were prepared by 96-well supported liquid extraction (SLE). Chromatographic separations were performed on a biphenyl core shell column with a mobile phase consisting of 10 mM ammonium formate, pH 3.1 and methanol. Each extract was analyzed twice by LC-MS/MS, injecting 0.4 μL and 2 μL, in order to obtain narrow and symmetrical peaks and good sensitivity for all compounds. Stable isotope-labeled internal standards were used for 31 of the 34 compounds.

RESULTS

A 96-well SLE reversed phase LC-MS/MS method for determination of PEth 16:0/18:1 and 33 other compounds from eight different drug classes was developed and validated. By using an organic solvent mixture of isopropanol/ methyl tert-butyl ether (1:5, v:v), all compounds, including the polar and ampholytic compounds pregabalin, gabapentin and benzoylecgonine, was extracted by 96-well SLE.

DISCUSSION/CONCLUSION

For the first time an LC-MS/MS method for the determination of alcohol biomarker PEth 16:0/18:1 and drugs and metabolites from several different drug classes was developed and validated. The developed LC-MS/MS method can be used for high-throughput analyses and sensitive determinations of the 34 compounds in whole blood.

A green and low-cost method employing switchable hydrophilicity solvent for the simultaneous determination of antidepressants in human urine by gas chromatography - mass spectrometry detection

In this study, the use of switchable hydrophilicity solvent with a simple and low-cost lab-made device for the extraction procedure in homogeneous liquid-liquid microextraction is proposed for the first time in the determination of antidepressants in human urine. The antidepressants studied consisted of fluoxetine, amitriptyline, nortriptyline, imipramine, desipramine and sertraline. The optimization of the main parameters that can influence on the extraction efficiency was performed through multivariate approaches. The analytes were separated and identified by gas chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry (GC-MS). The optimal extraction conditions consisted of using N,N-dimethylcyclohexylamine (DMCHA) as the switchable hydrophilicity solvent (SHS), 500 µL of urine sample previously diluted with ultrapure water at 1:1 ratio (v/v), 200 μL of a mixture of SHS:HCl 6 mol L^-1 (1:1 v/v), 600 μL of NaOH 10 mol L^-1 and 3 min of extraction time. A volume of 40 µL of diphenylamine at concentration of 500 µg L^-1 (20 ng) was used as internal standard. The method developed was in-house validated, providing coefficients of determination higher than 0.995 for all analytes, limits of detection (LOD) from 0.02 to 0.88 µg L^-1, limits of quantification (LOQ) from 0.05 to 2.92 µg L^-1, relative recoveries of 68 to 102%, intra-day precision from 0.5 to 15.9%, inter-day precision from 4.2 to 19.3%, selectivity and robustness. The method proposed was successfully applied in five human urine samples from a Toxicological Information Center located in Porto Alegre (Brazil). The results demonstrated that the µP-SHS-HLLME approach is highly cost-effective, rapid, simple and environmentally-friendly with satisfactory analytical performance.