Quantitation of Benzodiazepine Hydrolysis Products in Urine Using Solid-Phase Extraction and High Performance Liquid Chromatography

Abstract

Solid-phase extraction and high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) were used to indirectly (via products of acid hydrolysis) confirm the presence of benzodiazepine metabolites in the urine of patients who had received overdoses of these compounds. The use of solid-phase extraction method for quantitation of benzodiazepine hydrolysis products in urine offers numerous advantages in comparison to extraction with chloroform. The chromatograms of urine extracts were free of interferences. The recoveries of the benzodiazepine hydrolysis products and the internal standard were greater than 96%, which makes this method highly reliable for quantitative analytical purposes.