Development and validation of quantitative analytical method for 50 drugs of antidepressants, benzodiazepines and opioids in oral fluid samples by liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry

Paper-supported polystyrene membranes for micro-solid phase extraction of date-rape drugs from urine: A sustainable analytical approach

BACKGROUND

The rapid development of micro-solid phase extraction (μ-SPE) procedures with new sorption materials, in particular, based on using natural materials, is currently reported. The production of these sorbents and the entire extraction procedure should support the implementation of Green Analytical Chemistry (GAC) principles. Promising materials are sorbents based on paper, which can be relatively easily modified, among others: by covering it with a polymer membrane. In this work, the practical application of paper-supported polystyrene used in the analysis of urine samples containing selected date-rape drugs (DRD) substances, and evaluation of the entire procedure using GAC metrics is presented.

RESULTS

The paper-supported polystyrene membranes were successfully fabricated and characterized. The successful polystyrene coating on the paper was confirmed through ATR-FTIR measurements, ensuring even coverage. The μ-SPE procedure using this material facilitated extraction with a throughput of approximately 120 samples per hour in just a few steps. Throughout the research, a mixture of 100 mM acetic acid:methanol:acetonitrile (70:15:15, v/v/v) was selected as an optimal background electrolyte for capillary electrophoresis - mass spectrometry analysis. Validation results of this method demonstrated its suitability, exhibiting good linearity (R2 > 0.95), low limits of detection (3.1-15 ng mL-1), acceptable precision (<15 %), and recovery for all tested analytes. Furthermore, the greenness evaluation conducted with six different metrics: AGREEprep, AGREE, ComplexGAPI, SPMS, hexagonal metric, and WAC indicated the overall eco-friendliness and sustainability of the method, with minor concerns regarding energy consumption.

SIGNIFICANCE

The use of cellulose paper with polystyrene membranes for μ-SPE provides a versatile and eco-friendly extraction method for detecting DRDs in urine samples. The presented work is an example of the use of GAC metrics in the evaluation of the analytical procedure. The optimized PT-μ-SPE/CE-MS method allows for minimized reagent usage and waste production. Moreover, the method proves to be sustainable and efficient for forensic toxicology analysis.

Bioinspired composite packed in blunt needles, integrated microextraction and determination of oxycodone and naloxone in saliva by substrate spray mass spectrometry

BACKGROUND

Opioids are effective painkillers used for medical purposes. Their prolonged ingestion can provoke some side effects (including overdose or constipation) that are minimized by using opioid antagonists (e.g., naloxone). The rapid determination of opioids and their antagonists in biosamples is essential for an effective medical treatment. The direct combination of sample preparation and mass spectrometry (MS) fits well in this scenario. It can speed up the analysis achieving a good selectivity, which relies on the sample preparation and MS, and sensitivity levels.

RESULTS

This article presents a novel substrate-spray mass spectrometry interface based on a polydopamine-cotton (PDA-Cel) composite hosted inside the inner diameter of a 14-gauge blunt needle to determine oxycodone and naloxone in saliva samples. The needle is used as a microextraction device and a substrate for mass spectrometric analysis. The lack of sharpness of the 14-gauge (14G) blunt needles challenges the formation of the electrospray (ESI), and a commercial 10 μL pipette tip is proposed as a simple solution to this shortcoming. Under the optimum parameters, the proposed method was validated, obtaining limits of detection lower than 0.6 μg L-1, linear range up to 200 μg L-1, and linearity better than 0.9915. Relative standard deviation (RSD) and relative recoveries (RR) were studied at three different concentration levels (2, 40, and 200 μg L-1). RSD values were better than 20.7 %, and RR ranged from 90 to 114 %. Finally, a positive sample from a patient under medical treatment was analyzed.

SIGNIFICANCE AND NOVELTY

14G blunt needles have been demonstrated as effective extraction devices due to their low price (<0.15 € per extraction unit), their better safety (avoiding finger pricking), and their higher hosting capacity (up to 8 mg of sorbent). The conductivity of stainless steel permits their use as electrospray emitters, making their direct combination to MS easier. The large variety of fibrous sorbents makes this approach versatile enough to be adapted to other analytical problems.

Functionalized magnetic metal organic framework nanocomposites for high throughput automation extraction and sensitive detection of antipsychotic drugs in serum samples

Due to the complexity of biological sample matrix, the automated and high-throughput pretreatment technology is urgently needed for monitoring the antipsychotic drugs for mental patients. In this study, functionalized magnetic zirconium-based organic framework nanocomposites (Fe3O4@SiO2@Zr-MOFs) were successfully designed and synthesized by the layer-by-layer growth. Among them, Fe3O4@SiO2@UiO-67-COOH showed the best adsorption performance, and at the same time it exhibited excellent water dispersibility, high thermal stability, chemical stability and high hydrophobicity. Results of adsorption kinetics, isotherm and FT-IR showed that the adsorption process was dominated by chemical adsorption (hydrogen bond, electrostatic interaction, π-π interaction) and monolayer adsorption. Moreover, the smaller pore size improved the protein exclusion rate which reached 98.9-99.8%. Based on the above result, the synthesized magnetic nanoparticles were introduced to 96-well automatic extractor, antipsychotic drugs in 96 serum samples were automatically extracted within 9 min, which most greatly saved the time and labor costs and avoided artificial errors. By further integrating with ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS), antipsychotic drugs can be detected in the range of 0.2-3.0 ng mL-1 with a quantitative limit of 0.06-0.9 ng mL-1. The recoveries of antipsychotic drugs and their metabolites in serum ranged from 95.7% to 112.3% within 1.4-6.5% of RSD. These features indicate that the proposed method is promising for high throughput and sensitively monitoring of drugs and other hazardous substances.

Coupling in-syringe kapok fiber-supported liquid-phase microextraction with flow injection-mass spectrometry for rapid and green biofluid analysis: Determination of antidepressants as an example

Quantification of substances in biofluid samples (e.g., urine, blood, and cerebrospinal fluids) are useful for clinical diagnosis. In current study, a rapid and green strategy by coupling in-syringe kapok fiber-supported liquid-phase microextraction with flow-injection mass spectrometry was proposed. The natural kapok fiber was used as an oily extraction solvent (e.g., n-octanol) support material, and an in-syringe extraction device was conveniently constructed. The whole extraction processes, including sampling, washing and desorption, were conveniently conducted by simply pulling/pushing the syringe plunger, enabling rapid analyte enrichment and sample purification. The follow-up flow injection-mass spectrometry detection enabled rapid and high throughput analysis. As an example, the proposed method was applied to analyze antidepressants in plasma/urine, showing satisfied linearities (R² ≥0.993) in ranges of 0.2-1000 ng/mL. By employing the in-syringe extraction method prior to flow injection-mass spectrometry detection, the LOQs in plasma and urine were reduced by 25-80 folds and 5-25 folds, respectively. Besides, by employing ethanol and 80% ethanol as the desorption solvent and carrier solvent, respectively, the analytical method showed excellent greenness. In general, the integrated method provides a promising choice for rapid and green biofluid analysis.

Nitrazepam and 7-aminonitrazepam studied at the macroscopic and microscopic electrified liquid-liquid interface

Two benzodiazepine type drugs, that is, nitrazepam and 7-aminonitrazepam, were studied at the electrified liquid-liquid interface (eLLI). Both drugs are illicit and act sedative in the human body and moreover are used as date rape drugs. Existence of the diazepine ring in the concerned chemicals structure and one additional amine group (for 7-aminonitrazepam) allows for the molecular charging below their pKa values, and hence, both drugs can cross the eLLI interface upon application of the appropriate value of the Galvani potential difference. Chosen molecules were studied at the macroscopic eLLI formed in the four electrode cell and microscopic eLLI formed within a microtip defined as the single pore having 25 μm in diameter. Microscopic eLLI was formed using only a few μL of the organic and the aqueous phase with the help of a 3D printed cell. Parameters such as limit of detection and voltammetric detection sensitivity are derived from the experimental data. Developed methodology was used to detect nitrazepam in pharmaceutical formulation and both drugs (nitrazepam and 7-aminonitrazepam) in spiked biological fluids (urine and blood).

An in-depth analysis of four classes of antidepressants quantification from human serum using LC-MS/MS

Depression is a growing global crisis, with females at a higher rate of diagnosis than males. While the percentage of patients on prescribed antidepressants have tripled over the last two decades, we are still at a crossroad where the discrepancy lies between finding a drug to suit a patient and monitoring the abundance of it in the body to prevent unwanted side effects. Liquid Chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) has garnered the attention of clinicians as a technique to accurately monitor therapeutic drugs in human serum with high specificity and accuracy. This may be a potential solution, but the challenge persists in the realm of sample preparation, where a method is automatable. We have developed and validated an LC-MS/MS-based assay for simultaneous quantification of 4 different classes of commonly prescribed antidepressants in women that is automated using a JANUS G3 Robotic Liquid Handler. Our method utilizes a simple sample preparation technique, utilizing only 20 μL of a serum sample, to accurately measure Bupropion, Citalopram, Desipramine, Imipramine, Olanzapine, Sertraline and Vilazodone across a range of 1.0 to 230 ng/mL. Our method exhibits a linearity of R2 ≥ 0.99 when detected in MRM mode and % CV of ≤ 20% for all analytes across the board. In addition, we have designed a prototype that can be utilized at a clinical mass spectrometry lab and assessed the long-term use of this prototype using an accelerated stability study. Overall, our developed method has the potential to be translated to clinical settings to monitor postpartum depression for a large number of patient samples using automation.

Rapid Extraction and Qualitative Screening of 30 Drugs in Oral Fluid at Concentrations Recommended for the Investigation of DUID Cases

A rapid, simple extraction method followed by qualitative screening using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS-MS) for drugs in oral fluid is presented. The decision points were selected to be at, or lower, than those recommended as Tier I compounds by the National Safety Council's Alcohol, Drugs, and Impairment Division for toxicological investigation of driving under the influence of drugs cases (DUID) and were also at, or lower, than those recommended by Substance Abuse and Mental Health Service Administration (SAMHSA) and the Department of Transportation (DOT) for Federal workplace drug testing programs. The method included 30 drugs: delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), amphetamine, methamphetamine, 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA), 3,4-methylenedioxyamphetamine (MDA), cocaine, benzoylecgonine, carisoprodol, meprobamate, zolpidem, alprazolam, clonazepam, 7-aminoclonazepam, diazepam, nordiazepam, lorazepam, oxazepam, temazepam, codeine, morphine, 6-acetylmorphine, buprenorphine, fentanyl, hydrocodone, hydromorphone, oxycodone, oxymorphone, methadone, tramadol, and phencyclidine. Phencyclidine was included because it is in the Federal workplace program even though it is considered a Tier II drug for DUID cases. A liquid-liquid extraction method using isopropanol, hexane, and ethyl acetate to extract drugs from the oral fluid-buffer mix collected in a Quantisal™ device, followed by LC-MS-MS screening was developed and validated according to ANSI/ASB 2019 Standard Practices for Method Validation in Forensic Toxicology. Interference studies, limit of detection, precision at the decision point, ionization suppression/enhancement and processed sample stability were determined for each drug. The method was successfully applied to proficiency specimens and routine samples received into the laboratory.

Simultaneous Quantification of 25 Fentanyl Derivatives and Metabolites in Oral Fluid by Means of Microextraction on Packed Sorbent and LC-HRMS/MS Analysis

Fentanyl and fentalogs’ intake as drugs of abuse is experiencing a great increase in recent years. For this reason, there are more and more cases in which it is important to recognize and quantify these molecules and related metabolites in biological matrices. Oral fluid (OF) is often used to find out if a subject has recently used a psychoactive substance and if, therefore, the person is still under the effect of psychotropics. Given its difficulty in handling, good sample preparation and the development of instrumental methods for analysis are essential. In this work, an analytical method is proposed for the simultaneous determination of 25 analytes, including fentanyl, several derivatives and metabolites. OF was collected by means of passive drool; sample pretreatment was developed in order to be fast, simple and possibly semi-automated by exploiting microextraction on packed sorbent (MEPS). The analysis was performed by means of LC–HRMS/MS obtaining good identification and quantification of all the analytes in less than 10 min. The proposed method was fully validated according to the Scientific Working Group for Forensic Toxicology (SWGTOX) international guidelines. Good results were obtained in terms of recoveries, matrix effect and sensitivity, showing that this method could represent a useful tool in forensic toxicology. The presented method was successfully applied to the analysis of proficiency test samples.

Quantification of fentanyl analogs in oral fluid using LC-QTOF-MS

Oral fluid is a valuable alternative matrix for forensic toxicologists due to ease of observed collection, limited biohazardous exposure, and indications of recent drug use. Limited information is available for fentanyl analog prevalence, interpretation, or analysis in oral fluid. With increasing numbers of fentanyl-related driving under the influence of drug (DUID) cases appearing in the United States, the development of detection methods is critical. The purpose of the present study was to develop and validate a quantitative method for fentanyl analogs in oral fluid (collected via Quantisal™) using liquid chromatography-quadrupole-time-of-flight-mass spectrometry (LC-QTOF-MS). Validation resulted in limits of detection and quantification ranging from 0.5 to 1 ng/mL. Established linear range was 1-100 ng/mL for all analytes, except acetyl fentanyl at 0.5-100 ng/mL (R²  > 0.994). Within- and between-run precision and bias were considered acceptable with maximum values of ±15.2%CV and ±14.1%, respectively. Matrix effects exhibited ionization enhancement for all analytes with intensified enhancement at a low concentration (9.3-47.4%). No interferences or carryover was observed. Fentanyl analogs were stable in processed extracts stored in the autosampler (4^⁰ C) for 48h. The validated method was used to quantify fentanyl analogs in authentic oral fluid samples (n=17) from probationers/parolees. Fentanyl and 4-ANPP concentrations were 1.0-104.5 ng/mL and 1.2-5.7 ng/mL, respectively.