Antidepressant drugs are one of the most widely used medicines for treating major depressive disorders for long time periods. Oral fluid (OF) testing offers an easy and non-invasive sample collection. Detection of antidepressants in OF is important in clinical and forensic settings, such as therapeutic drug monitoring and roadside testing for driving under influence. We developed and validated a comprehensive liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry method for 18 antidepressants (amitriptyline, bupropion, citalopram, clomipramine, cyclobenzaprine, desipramine, desvenlafaxine, doxepin, duloxetine, fluoxetine, imipramine, mirtazapine, nortriptyline, paroxetine, sertraline, trazodone, trimipramine, venlafaxine) in oral fluid collected by Quantisal® oral collection devices. One-half milliliter of Quantisal® OF (125 μL of neat OF) was submitted to solid-phase extraction. The chromatographic separation was performed employing a biphenyl column in gradient mode with a total run time of 5 min. The MS detection was achieved by multiple-reaction monitoring with two transitions per compound. The range for linearity of all analytes was from 10 to 1,000 ng/mL, with a limit of detection of 10 ng/mL. Intra and inter-day accuracy and precision (n = 15) were all within acceptable limits, ±20% error and ±15% relative standard deviation. Analyte recovery at 400 ng/mL concentration (n = 15) ranged from 91 to 129%. Matrix effect ranged from 73.7 to 157%. The internal proficiency test detected all antidepressants with accuracy ranging from 83.1 to 112.1%. The authentic patient sample showed a percentage difference compared to the previously calculated concentration of 86.3–111%. This method provides for the rapid detection of 18 antidepressants and metabolites in OF, which is readily applicable to a routine laboratory.

Synthetic cannabinoids are a group of psychoactive compounds that mimic the effects of Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol, the primary psychoactive constituent of marijuana (Cannabis sativa L). The Drug Enforcement Administration has classified many of the most common cannabinoids as Schedule 1 controlled substances. As a result, several novel synthetic cannabinoid series have emerged in the illicit drug market, including PINACA, FUBINACA, PB-22, AKB-48 and multiple derivatives of these compounds. Our laboratory developed and validated an analytical method for the analysis 32 synthetic cannabinoid metabolites in urine samples. Included in this method are metabolites that are constituents of the new generation of synthetic cannabinoids. Following enzymatic hydrolysis, target analytes were recovered by liquid-liquid extraction utilizing 1-chlorobutane:isopropyl alcohol (70:30) as the organic ratio. Chromatographic separation and detection was achieved using an Agilent Technologies 1290 liquid chromatograph coupled to a 6460-triple quadrupole mass spectrometer with a Jetstream electrospray source. Linearity for all analytes was established along the range of 0.5-200 ng/mL. Both intraday and interday accuracy and precision data were all within acceptable limits, ±20% error and ±15% relative standard deviation, respectively. Recovery ranged from 48% to 104%. This method has shown to be selective and specific, providing no evidence of interference or carryover concerns. Finally, 11 distinct synthetic cannabinoids were detected in 23 of 25 donor samples analyzed with the method. The data presented here represents a validated liquid chromatography  tandem mass spectrometry method to accurately identify and quantitate synthetic cannabinoid metabolites in urine samples, incorporating new generation derivatives.

No abstract

No abstract

Methamphetamine (MAMP) is a popular illicit drug abused for its central nervous system stimulating effects. MAMP is also used therapeutically in the treatment of overeating disorders, narcolepsy, attention deficit disorder, in over-the-counter (OTC) products to ease nasal congestion. MAMP exists in two enantiomeric forms, dextrorotary (d-MAMP) or levorotary (l-MAMP). The compounds are similar in chemical structure, simply differing in the orientation of functional groups around the asymmetric carbon. In part because of the availability of l-MAMP in OTC nasal inhalers, forensic guidelines require a sample to contain greater than 20% d-MAMP to consider illicit drug use when interpreting results. Standard analytical methods readily detect MAMP in biological specimens but cannot resolve the enantiomeric composition of the sample. Specialized analytical techniques based on chiral separation of the enantiomers are required to differentiate d-MAMP from l-MAMP. Our laboratory sought to develop and validate a method for the analysis of oral fluid specimens for d/l-MAMP using a chiral derivatizing agent and traditional reverse phase liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS-MS). MAMP was extracted from dilute oral fluid samples using Strata-XC solid phase extraction (SPE) cartridges and derivatized with Marfey's reagent. Chromatographic separation was achieved using Zorbax Eclipse Plus C18 columns. Linearity, accuracy and precision, recovery, matrix effects and specificity of the method were all within acceptable criteria. Intraday accuracy ranged from 93.3 to 103.4% and precision 0.1 to 1.6%. Interday accuracy ranged from 90.0 to 103.4% and precision 3.8 to 11.6%. Finally, having previously tested positive for MAMP using non-chiral analysis, 256 de-identified authentic oral fluid samples were analyzed using this validated method. 98% of all samples tested positive for d-MAMP at greater than 20%.