Single hair analysis for gamma‐hydroxybutyric acid—Method optimization, validation, and application

Abstract

As gamma‐hydroxybutyric acid (GHB) underlies fast metabolization, its determination from hair may presumably offer a detection window superior to that of body fluids. Due to the wide range of endogenous concentration levels, the evidence of an exogenous ingestion is challenging. As already shown for other drugs, the temporal resolution obtained by applying single hair microanalysis provides further information. Therefore, a method for the extraction and quantification of GHB in 2‐mm hair segments (seg) was optimized and validated (limit of detection [LOD]: 2.5 pg/seg, lower limit of quantification [LLOQ]: 5 pg/seg), and five single hairs were examined, each for three non‐users and for three (alleged) users. A major challenge was the choice of appropriate extraction tubes without remains of GHB. In two samples from non‐users, GHB could not or could only be detected in trace amounts. In the third sample, concentrations between the LOD and 31.1 pg/seg (mean: 9.5, median: 8.4; each pg/seg) were detected with decreasing values towards the tips. In two samples of persons with assumed GHB intake, maximum concentrations of 6.8 and 30.7 pg/seg were measured, but no significant concentration peaks indicating a single ingestion could be observed. The third sample showed concentrations of 7.6–55.2 pg/seg (mean: 28.8, median: 29.6; each pg/seg). In this case, the obtained profiles showing at least two reproducible concentration maxima between 20 and 40 mm point to an ingestion of GHB. The concentration profiles from single hairs were reproducible in each case, reflecting the concentration course of routine 1‐cm segmental analysis. These are the first results published on GHB testing in segmented single hairs, and the results must be verified further.