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A method using microextraction by packed sorbent (MEPS) and gas chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (GC-MS/MS) is described for the determination of seven antipsychotic drugs in human plasma. The studied compounds were chlorpromazine (CPZ), haloperidol (HAL), cyamemazine, quetiapine, clozapine, olanzapine (OLZ), and levomepromazine; promazine, protriptyline, and deuterated CPZ were used as internal standards. The validation parameters included selectivity, linearity and limits of detection and quantitation, intra- and interday precision and trueness, recovery, and stability and were studied according to internationally accepted guidelines. The method was found to be linear between the lower limit of quantitation and 1000 ng/mL, except for OLZ and HAL (200 ng/mL), with determination coefficients higher than 0.99 for all analytes, and extraction efficiencies ranged from 62 to 92 %. Intra- and interday precision ranged from 0.24 to 10.67 %, while trueness was within a ±15 % interval from the nominal concentration for all analytes at all studied levels. MEPS has shown to be a rapid procedure for the determination of the selected antipsychotic drugs in human plasma, allowing reducing the handling time and the costs of analysis. Furthermore, GC-MS/MS has demonstrated to be a powerful tool for the simultaneous quantitation of the studied compounds, enabling obtaining adequate selectivity and sensitivity using a sample volume of as low as 0.25 mL.

The application of the design of experiments to optimize method development in the field of forensic toxicology using the urinary morphine 3-glucuronide acid hydrolysis as an example is described. Morphine and its trideuterated analogue (used as an internal standard) were extracted from urine samples by liquid-liquid extraction (ToxiTubes A) and derivatized by silylation. Chromatographic analysis was done by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry in the selected ion monitoring mode. Using the peak area ratio (morphine-to-internal standard) as the response, we investigated the independent variables that could influence the acid hydrolysis, including temperature (range 70-130 degrees C), acid volume (range 500-1,000 microL) and time (range 15-90 min). A 2(3) full factorial design for the screening and a response surface methodology, including a central composite design for optimization, were applied. The factors which influenced the response to a greater extent were temperature and its interaction both with time and acid volume. By application of a multiple regression analysis to the experimental data, a second-order polynomial equation was obtained. The optimal predicted conditions for morphine 3-glucuronide acid hydrolysis were 115 degrees C, 38 min and 500 microL for temperature, time and acid volume, respectively. Using design of experiments, instead of the one factor at a time approach, we achieved the optimum combination of all factor values, and this allowed the best results to be obtained, simultaneously optimizing resources. In addition, time and money can be saved, since other approaches are in general more time-consuming and laborious, and do not take into account the interactions between factors.

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A simple, rapid and sensitive method is described for the determination of omethoate, dimethoate, diazinon, chlorpyrifos, parathion-ethyl, chlorfenvinphos, quinalphos and azinphos-ethyl in postmortem whole blood samples. The analytes and internal standard (ethion) were isolated from the matrix by solid-phase extraction, and were analysed by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry in the selected ion monitoring mode. The method has shown to be selective after analysis of postmortem samples of 40 different origins. Calibration curves were established between 0.05 (0.1 for omethoate) and 25 µg/mL, and the values obtained for intra- and interday precision and accuracy were within the criteria usually accepted for bioanalytical method validation. Lower limits of quantitation were 50 ng/mL for all compounds, except for omethoate (100 ng/mL); the limits of identification of the method were 25 ng/mL for all analytes, except for omethoate, for which 50 ng/mL was obtained. Absolute recovery was determined at three concentration levels, and ranged from 31 to 108%. The proposed method is simple and fast, and can be routinely applied in the determination of these compounds in postmortem whole blood samples within the scope of forensic toxicology. In addition, mass spectrometry has demonstrated to be a powerful and indispensable tool for the unequivocal identification of the analytes, since the acceptance criteria were accomplished even at very low levels, thus allowing obtaining forensically valid and sound results.