Evaluation of "Toolkit" consisting of handheld and portable analytical devices for detecting active pharmaceutical ingredients in drug products collected during a simultaneous nation-wide mail blitz

Energy-Resolved In-Source Collison-Induced Dissociation for Isomer Discrimination

While mass spectrometry remains a gold-standard tool for analyte detection, characterization, and quantitation, isomer differentiation is often a challenge. Tandem mass spectrometry is a common approach to increase the selectivity of mass spectrometry and energy-resolved measurements can provide further improvements. However, not all mass spectrometers, especially those that are very compact and affordable, are amenable to such experiments. For instance, single-stage mass spectrometers with soft ionization provide no dissociation information and quadrupole ion trap instruments with resonant excitation do not necessarily provide as informative of energy-resolved curves, for instance when extensive sequential dissociation is responsible for much of the "fingerprint". In-source collision-induced dissociation (IS-CID) is one approach to overcoming these barriers to exploit the analytical selectivity of energy-resolved CID without the need for additional instrumentation; this approach could broaden the reach of these selectivity gains to additional user bases (e.g., educational settings, field portable devices). Here, we specifically investigate energy-resolved IS-CID with the goal of (1) comparing between energy-resolved appearance curves measured with true tandem mass spectrometry on a quadrupole time-of-flight instrument and those obtained using IS-CID, (2) evaluating the approach as a means of differentiating isomers/isobar sets, especially those with similar dissociation patterns, and (3) exploring additional analytical considerations relevant to method development and implementation. This proof-of-concept work establishes the analytical potential of this approach, opening doors for future method development for specific applications.

Analysis of unknown (unlabeled/mislabeled) drug products for active pharmaceutical ingredients and related substances by an international mail facility satellite laboratory equipped with rapid screening devices

Two chemists employed a three-device rapid screening "toolkit" consisting of a handheld Raman spectrometer, transportable mass spectrometer, and portable Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectrometer at an international mail facility (IMF) satellite laboratory to examine unknown (unlabeled/mislabeled) products for the presence of active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs). Phase I of this project previously demonstrated that this toolkit was the most effective collection of instruments for identifying APIs in product types collected at IMFs during a nationwide mail blitz and Phase II of this project previously demonstrated that results generated using the toolkit during a satellite laboratory pilot program were as reliable as those generated by a full-service library when two or more of these instruments identify an API. This study (Phase III) described the results of the satellite laboratory toolkit during production mode and encompassed the period ranging from June 2021 through December 2022. During this study, a total of 858 products were examined on-site at the IMF. The satellite laboratory yielded conclusive results for 726 (84.6%) products, which were used to support regulatory action, and identified 132 (15.4%) products that required additional full-service laboratory analyses due to inconclusive results. The satellite and full-service laboratory verified/confirmed at least one API/related substance in 617 (71.9%) products. A total of 709 APIs/related substances were found in the 617 products, and 202 of these 709 compounds were unique/different. Overall, during Phases I through III of this program, 350 different substances have been identified in products collected at IMFs.

Rapid screening of riot control agents using DART-TD-HRMS

PURPOSE

Riot Control Agents (RCAs) are chemicals used in law enforcement for non-lethal riot control and use in conflicts between states that violates the Chemical Weapons Convention. OPCW's Scientific Advisory Board has identified sixteen potential RCAs including capsaicinoids, CS, and CR. RCAs may be misused for criminal purposes, so methods for detecting such misuse are needed. This study therefore evaluates the feasibility of a rapid, high throughput screening method of RCAs on surfaces (particularly clothing surfaces) by Direct Analysis in Real Time with a thermal desorption unit coupled to high-resolution mass spectrometry (DART-TD-HRMS).

METHODS

A broadly applicable method for detecting potential RCAs was developed and tested on cotton fabric samples sprayed with self-defence sprays from an in-house reference stock. The feasibility of detecting RCAs by direct analysis of surface wipe samples placed in the DART source was also investigated.

RESULTS

The method detected all sixteen RCAs and contaminated clothing were successfully screened for active agents in a reference collection of self-defence sprays. A pilot study also showed that RCAs can be detected by holding a sample directly in front of the DART source.

CONCLUSION

DART-TD-HRMS enables rapid and simple screening of RCAs on fabric samples enabling a high sample throughput.

Portable Instrumentation for Ambient Ionization and Miniature Mass Spectrometers

We critically evaluate the current status of portable mass spectrometry (pMS), particularly where this aligns with ambient ionization. Assessing the field of pMS can be quite subjective, especially in relation to the portable aspects of design, deployment, and operation. In this review, we discuss what it means to be portable and introduce a set of criteria by which pMS and ambient ionization sources can be assessed. Moreover, we consider the recent literature in terms of the most popular and significant advances in portable instrumentation for ambient ionization and miniature mass spectrometers. Finally, emerging trends and exciting future prospects are discussed and some recommendations are offered.

Comparison of direct analysis in real-time mass spectrometry, atmospheric solids analysis probe-mass spectrometry, and ion mobility spectrometry for ensuring food safety by rapid screening of poppy seeds

The opium poppy (Papaver somniferum) is a global commercial crop that has been historically valued for both medicinal and culinary purposes. Naturally occurring opium alkaloids including morphine, codeine, thebaine, noscapine, and papaverine are found primarily in the latex produced by the plant. If the plant is allowed to fully mature, poppy seeds that do not contain the opium alkaloids will form within the pods and may be used in the food industry. It is possible for the seeds to become contaminated with alkaloids by the latex during harvesting, posing a potential health risk for consumers. In the USA, there have been more than 600 reported adverse events including 19 fatalities that may be linked to the consumption of a contaminated poppy-containing product such as home-brewed poppy seed tea. Unwashed poppy seeds and pods may be purchased over the Internet and shipped worldwide. The Forensic Chemistry Center, US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has evaluated several mass spectrometers (MS) capable of rapid screening to be used for high-throughput analysis of samples such as poppy seeds. These include a direct analysis in real-time (DART) ambient ionization source coupled to a single-quadrupole MS, an atmospheric solids analysis probe (ASAP) ionization source coupled to the same MS, and ion mobility spectrometers (IMS). These instruments have been used to analyze 17 poppy seed samples for the presence of alkaloids, and the results were compared to data obtained using liquid chromatography with mass spectral detection (LC-MS/MS). Results from the 17 poppy seed samples indicate that the DART-MS, ASAP-MS, and IMS devices detect many of the same alkaloids confirmed during the LC-MS/MS analyses, although both the false-positive and false-negative rates are higher, possibly due to the non-homogeneity of the samples and the lack of chromatographic separation.

Further exploration of the collision-induced dissociation of select beta blockers: Acebutolol, atenolol, bisoprolol, carteolol, and labetalol

Beta blockers are a class of drugs commonly used to treat heart-related diseases; they are also regulated under the World Anti-Doping Agency. Tandem mass spectrometry is often used in the pharmaceutical industry, clinical analysis laboratory, and antidoping laboratory for detection and characterization of drugs and their metabolites. A deeper chemical understanding of dissociation pathways may eventually lead to an improved ability to predict tandem mass spectra of compounds based strictly on their chemical structure (or vice versa), which is especially important for characterization of unknowns such as emerging designer drugs or novel metabolites. In addition to providing insights into dissociation pathways, the use of energy-resolved breakdown curves can produce improved selectivity and lend insights into optimal fragmentation conditions for liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry LC-MS/MS workflows. Here, we perform energy-resolved collision cell and multistage ion trap collision-induced dissociation-mass spectrometry (CID-MS) experiments, along with complementary density functional theory calculations, on five beta blockers (acebutolol, atenolol, bisoprolol, carteolol, and labetalol), to better understand the details of the pathways giving rise to the observed MS/MS patterns. Results from this work are contextualized within previously reported literature on these compounds. New insights into the formation of the characteristic product ion m/z 116 and the pathway leading to characteristic loss of 77 u are highlighted. We also present comparisons of breakdown curves obtained via qToF, quadrupole ion trap, and in-source CID, allowing for differences between the data to be noted and providing a step toward allowing for improved selectivity of breakdown curves to be realized on simple instruments such as single quadrupoles or ion traps.

Field-portable detection of fentanyl and its analogs: A review

The need to detect fentanyl and its analogs in the field is an important capability to help prevent unintentional exposure or overdose on these substances, which may result in death. Many portable methods historically used in the field by first responders and other field users to detect and identify other chemical substances, such as hazardous materials, have been applied to the detection and identification of these synthetic opioids. This paper describes field portable spectroscopic methods used for the detection and identification of fentanyl and its analogs. The methods described are automated colorimetric tests including lateral flow assays; vibrational spectroscopy (mid-infrared and Raman); gas chromatography-mass spectrometry; ion mobility spectrometry, and high-pressure mass spectrometry. In each case the background and key details of these technologies are outlined, followed by a discussion of the application of the technology in the field. Attention is paid to the analysis of complex mixtures and limits of detection, including the required spectral databases and algorithms used to interrogate these types of samples. There is also an emphasis on providing actionable information to the (likely) non-scientist operators of these instruments in the field.

Rapid detection of active pharmaceutical ingredients in drug products collected at an international mail facility by a satellite laboratory using a "toolkit" consisting of a handheld Raman spectrometer, portable mass spectrometer and portable FT-IR spectrometer

A satellite laboratory "toolkit" consisting of a handheld Raman spectrometer, portable direct analysis in real-time mass spectrometer (DART-MS) and portable Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectrometer was employed to examine 926 pharmaceutical, unknown and dietary supplement products collected at an international mail facility (IMF) for the presence of declared and undeclared active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) over the course of 68 working days. The toolkit successfully identified over 650 APIs, including over 200 unique APIs, using two or more devices. The performance of each individual device, and toolkit as a whole, were evaluated on all products and a subset of the products was forwarded to full-service laboratories for confirmatory analysis to determine false positive and false negative rates of the toolkit. The subset consisted of seven negative items (those not found to contain APIs using the toolkit) and 124 positive items (those found to contain at least one API using the toolkit). Overall, no false positives were detected in the negative items and only four false negatives and five false positives were detected in the positive items. Regarding the positive items, 119 of the 124 items were found to contain at least one API using at least two toolkit devices; each of these APIs were confirmed by a full-service laboratory. Furthermore, 90.2% of the APIs found by confirmatory laboratory analysis were detected by at least two toolkit devices. Based on these metrics and the fact that no false positives were detected by more than one device, it was concluded that when the toolkit detects and subsequently verifies/confirms an API using two or more devices, the results are as reliable as those generated by a full-service laboratory.

Rapid screening of 2-benzylbenzimidazole nitazene analogs in suspect counterfeit tablets using Raman, SERS, DART-TD-MS, and FT-IR

Developing methods to rapidly screen for novel synthetic 2-benzylbenzimidazole opioids, also known as nitazenes, has become increasingly important due to their high potency. These compounds have potency comparable or exceeding that of fentanyl by up to 10 times and have been implicated in approximately 5% of all drug overdose deaths in the United States in 2021. This paper details the authenticity determination of suspect tablets and the identification of three nitazene analogs (N-pyrrolidino etonitazene, isotonitazene, and etodesnitazene) in suspect tablets seized at a mail facility using Raman and surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) with handheld devices, portable Fourier transform infrared spectrometer (FT-IR), and a direct analysis in real-time ambient ionization coupled to a thermal desorption unit and a mass spectrometer (DART-TD-MS). These methods are rapid and excellent for screening opioids in suspect tablets but could not fully determine the exact structure of some of the nitazene analogs present due to spectral similarities or similar fragmentation patterns. Liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) confirmed the presence of these nitazene compounds in addition to other opioids/drugs that were in trace quantities. The quantitative high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with ultraviolet (HPLC-UV) detection experiments determined that the suspect tablets contained an average of 0.817 mg of N-pyrrolidino etonitazene per tablet. The results obtained reveal that the simultaneous deployment of these complementary and orthogonal portable analytical techniques as part of a workflow allows suspect tablets to be screened and nitazene-type drugs to be identified in suspect counterfeit tablets at remote sampling sites.