Determination of Antidepressants and Antipsychotics in Dried Blood Spots (DBSs) Collected from Post-Mortem Samples and Evaluation of the Stability over a Three-Month Period

Abstract

An LC-MS/MS method for the identification and quantification of antidepressants and antipsychotics was developed on dried blood spots (DBSs). Moreover, analyte stability on DBSs within a 3-month period was monitored. Aliquots of 85 µL of blood from autopsy cases were pipetted onto DBS cards, which were dried and stored at room temperature. DBSs were analyzed in triplicate immediately, within the following 3 weeks, and after 3 months. For each analysis, a whole blood stain was extracted in phosphate buffer and purified using Solid Phase Extraction (SPE) cartridges in order to avoid matrix effects and injected in the LC-MS/MS system. Thirty-nine molecules were screened. Limits of detection (LODs) ranged between 0.1 and 3.2 ng/mL (g) and 0.1 and 5.2 ng/mL (g) for antidepressants and antipsychotics, respectively. Limits of quantification (LOQs) varied from 5 to 10.0 ng/mL for both. Sixteen cases among the 60 analyzed resulted positive for 17 different analytes; for 14 of these the method was fully validated. A general good agreement between the concentrations on DBSs and those measured in conventional blood samples (collected concurrently and stored at −20 °C) was observed. The degradation/enhancement percentage for most of the substances was lower than 20% within the 3-month period. Our results, obtained from real post-mortem cases, suggest that DBSs can be used for routine sample storage.

Dried Blood Spot in Laboratory: Directions and Prospects

“…One way to overcome the challenge of spot size and volume diffusion variations caused by different hemoglobin/hematocrit ratios is depositing on the DBS card the precise volume of whole blood as a requirement of the pre-analytical step [40][41][42]. The approach displays perfect robustness and analytical stability of sample across 3 months at a wide range of storage temperatures [40].…”

Blood and Plasma Volumetric Absorptive Microsampling (VAMS) Coupled to LC-MS/MS for the Forensic Assessment of Cocaine Consumption

“…The use of fixed-volume dried microsamples offers several advantages over traditional, large-volume biosamples. The water loss slows down or stops most degradation and metabolic processes, thus usually increasing analyte stability and allowing storage at room temperature (RT) for long periods of time [15,16]. The small dried sample can be accommodated in very small storage spaces and be shipped safely and feasibly; it also reduces solvent consumption and is thus cheaper and more sustainable [17][18][19][20][21].…”

Validated DBS method for filgotinib quantitation in rat dried blood spots and its application to a pharmacokinetic study in rats

“…Dried blood spot (DBS) methodology has seen significant progress during recent times in the quantitative analysis of various drugs [11][12][13][14][15][16]. DBS offers several advantages over traditional sampling (plasma/blood/serum) techniques such as reduction of commercial costs for laboratory equipment, convenience in collection, reduction in collection of blood volume, no requirements for trained phlebotomist, ease of sample handling/storage/shipping, safety in handling, less time in processing and increase in throughput etc.…”