Simultaneous quantification of morphine and cocaine in hair samples from drug addicts by GC-EI/MS

The development of analytical techniques that enable the use of hair as an alternative matrix for the analysis of drugs of abuse is useful for confirming the exposure in a larger time window (weeks to months, depending on the length of the hair shaft). In the present study a methodology aimed at the simultaneous quantification of cocaine and morphine in human hair was developed and validated. After decontamination, hair samples (20?mg) were incubated with a mixture of methanol/hydrochloric acid (2:1) at 65?°C overnight (~16?h) in order to extract the drugs of the matrix. Purification was performed by solid-phase extraction using mixed-mode extraction cartridges. After derivatization with N-methyl-N-(trimethylsilyl) trifluoroacetamide, blank, standards and samples were analyzed by gas chromatography/electron impact-mass spectrometry (GC-EI/MS). The method proved to be selective, as there were no interferences of endogenous compounds with the same retention time as cocaine, morphine and ethylmorphine (internal standard). The regression analysis for both analytes showed linearity in the range 0.25-10.00?ng/mg with correlation coefficients ranging from 0.9989 to 0.9991. The coefficients of variation oscillated between 0.83 and 14.60%. The limits of detection were 0.01 and 0.02?ng/mg, and the limits of quantification were 0.03 and 0.06?ng/mg for cocaine and morphine, respectively. The proposed GC-EI/MS method provided an accurate and simple assay with adequate precision and recovery for the quantification of cocaine and morphine in hair samples. The proof of applicability was performed in hair samples obtained from drug addicts enrolled in a Regional Detoxification Treatment Center. The importance of hair samples is highlighted, since positives results were obtained when urine immunoassay analyses were negative. Copyright ? 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

基于甲基苯丙胺和吗啡的胶体金免疫层析试剂盒检测法的可靠性评价

通过固相萃取-液相色谱-多级质谱(SPE-LC-MS/MS)联用技术和毒品胶体金免疫层析试剂盒检测法对13种中药及调味品样品中甲基苯丙胺及吗啡分别进行定量分析,依据LC-MS/MS检测结果,对毒品胶体金免疫层析试剂盒检测法进行可靠性评价。实验结果表明:型号1试剂盒对甲基苯丙胺和吗啡的特异性均不高,检测准确率分别为57.7%与78.8%;型号2试剂盒对甲基苯丙胺的特异性不足,准确率为73.1%,但对吗啡的检测准确率达到100%。在利用毒品胶体金免疫层析试剂盒进行毒品快速筛查时,应注重排除干扰因素以提高免疫胶体金层析试剂盒的检测准确度。     

Review of Recent Progress in Micro-Systems for the Detection and Analysis of Airborne Microorganisms

The spread of airborne microorganisms such as measles, anthrax, and influenza is a major public health threat because it causes severe infectious diseases with high mortality rates. Robust and real-time detection systems are necessary to prevent and control such dangerous biological particles in public places and dwellings. For effective detection, the collection of aerosol particles, the separation of airborne microbes, the concentration of the samples, and the discrimination or detection of pathogens are areas that need to be addressed. Although environmental and social needs are appreciated and required systems have been considered, no complete system has yet been constructed that adequately meets these needs at a level deemed appropriate by the requisite authorities. However, given the advancement in technology outlined herein, the delivery of such a system appears imminent. In this paper, we will review recent advances in microsystem detection and analysis of airborne microorganisms, and concede that some methods were not directly applied to the airborne microbes, but may be useful in the future.     

Analysis of the Cinchona alkaloids by high-performance liquid chromatography and other separation techniques

The Cinchona alkaloids, which include the pharmaceuticals quinine and quinidine, continue to have a wide variety of important uses. A number of different chromatographic procedures have been developed for the qualitative and quantitative analysis of these compounds in a variety of sample matrices. Reversed-phase HPLC using ODS columns in combination with acidic mobile phases, and UV detection, is the most widely used method. Nevertheless, precautions need to be taken due to the strong silanophilic interactions which can occur with these analytes and the column surface, which can lead to poor peak shape and resolution. Different selectivity may be achieved in HPLC separations by use of alternative stationary phases, or by varying mobile phase pH. The specificity of detection systems may be improved by use of photodiode array UV detectors, or especially mass spectrometers. Thin-layer chromatography (TLC) provides a cheap alternative analytical method, which is especially useful for qualitative analysis. High-performance TLC, gas chromatography, capillary electrophoresis and capillary electrochromatography are all methods which after some development, could prove useful for Cinchona alkaloid separations.     

Quantification of morphine and its major metabolites M3G and M6G in antemortem and postmortem samples

Morphine is one of the most effective agents for the control of significant pain, primarily metabolized to morphine‐3‐glucuronide (M3G) and morphine‐6‐glucuronide (M6G). While M6G is a potent opioid agonist, M3G has no opioid action and seems to have a role in side‐effects caused by morphine. In this study, a reversed‐phase high‐performance liquid chromatographic method with diode‐array and electrochemical detection was developed for the simultaneous determination of morphine, M3G and M6G in antemortem and postmortem samples (plasma, whole blood, urine, liver, kidney and brain). Morphine, glucuronides and internal standard were extracted by double solid‐phase extraction and the separation was carried out with a Waters Spherisorb® ODS2 reversed‐phase column and potassium phosphate buffer (pH = 2.2)–acetonitrile containing sodium dodecyl sulfate as the mobile phase. The method proved to be specific with good linearity for all analytes in a calibration range from 1 to 600 ng/mL and proved to be accurate and have adequate precision and recovery. Limits of detection in the studied matrices were 0.4–4.5 ng/mL for morphine, 2.7–6.1 ng/mL for M3G and 0.8–4.4 ng/mL for M6G. The proposed method can be successfully applied to quantify morphine and its metabolites in several biological samples, covering the major routes of distribution, metabolism and elimination of morphine. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Development of a powdered activated carbon in bar adsorptive micro-extraction for the analysis of morphine and codeine in human urine

In the present work, bar adsorptive microextraction using an activated carbon (AC) adsorbent phase followed by liquid desorption and high-performance liquid chromatography with diode array detection was developed to monitor morphine (MOR) and codeine (COD) in human urine. Under optimized experimental conditions, assays performed in aqueous media spiked at the 30.0 μg/L level yielded recoveries of 41.3 ± 1.3% for MOR and 38.4 ± 1.7% for COD, respectively. The textural and surface chemistry properties of the AC phase were also correlated with the analytical data for a better understanding of the overall enrichment process. The analytical performance showed good precision (relative standard deviation < 8.0%), suitable detection limits (0.90 and 0.06 μg/L for MOR and COD, respectively) and convenient linear dynamic ranges (r(2) > 0.991) from 10.0 to 330.0 μg/L. By using the standard addition methodology, the applications of this analytical approach to water and urine matrices allowed remarkable performance to monitor MOR and COD at the trace level. This new confirmatory method proved to be a suitable alternative to other sorptive micro-extraction methodologies in monitoring trace levels of opiate-related compounds, because it was easy to implement, reliable, sensitive and required a low sample volume.     

Voltammetric behaviour of morphine at a glassy carbon electrode and its determination in human serum by liquid chromatography with electrochemical detection under basic conditions.

The electrochemical oxidation of morphine was studied at pH values of between 7.00 and 12.00 by cyclic voltammetry and chronoamperometry at a planar glassy carbon electrode. The peak potential was dependent on pH over the range 7.00-9.75; it was independent of pH above the latter value, indicating a pKa value of 9.75. The peak current was found to be independent of pH, ionic strength of phosphate buffer (0.02-0.1 mol dm-3) and percentage of acetonitrile (0-40% v/v). The oxidation was found to occur in three steps; these are considered to result from a one-electron oxidation of the phenoxide group, followed by a one-electron loss from the oxidation product, pseudomorphine, and finally a two-electron loss from a tertiary amine group. A simple method of analysis by high-performance liquid chromatography was developed which employed a column packed with a reversed-phase, pH-stable, octadecylsilane-modified silica. Separation was achieved with a mobile phase containing 20% v/v acetonitrile in 0.05 mol dm-3 phosphate buffer, pH 11.0. Amperometric detection was carried out with an applied potential of +0.45 V versus Ag-AgCl. The detection limit was 1.24 x 10(-13) mol of morphine injected. The detector gave a linear response from 1.2 x 10(-12) to 4.0 x 10(-10) mol of morphine injected. The extraction method required 0.5 ml of serum, and no solvent evaporation was needed. The recovery of morphine was 80.9%. The method gave a linear response to at least 15.0 x 10(-7) mol dm-3.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

New HPLC method to detect individual opioids (heroin and tramadol) and their metabolites in the blood of rats on combination treatment

Drug abuse is both an age-old and a constantly evolving problem in society. Trends in illicit drug use are highly fluid, with new formulations increasing in popularity. For this reason, methods for illicit drug detection and analysis need to be continually updated so they remain useful and relevant. A recent trend in street heroin production has seen it diluted with large amounts of tramadol in addition to the classical diluents such as acetaminophen and caffeine. This study describes a sensitive, simple and accurate high-performance liquid chromatographic method with ultraviolet detection for the simultaneous detection of heroin, 6-acetylmorphine, morphine, tramadol and O-desmethyltramadol in the blood of rats using a liquid-liquid back-extraction method. The separation was performed on LichroCART RP-18e with particle size of 5 μm (250 × 4.6 mm) with mobile phase acetonitrile-50 mM KH(2)PO(4) buffer, pH 7.1, using a gradient mode with a 1.0 mL/min flow rate. The calibration curves were linear in the concentration ranges 0.25-100 and 0.1-100 μg/mL for morphine and other analytes, respectively. Recovery values for the substances ranged between 59 and 83%. This technique was successfully used in pharmacokinetic studies measuring 6-acetylmorphine, morphine, tramadol and O-desmethyltramadol in the blood of rats intraperitoneally treated with a blend of 10 mg/kg heroin and 70 mg/kg tramadol. This technique shows promise for analysis of confiscated street heroin.     

Origin differentiation of heroin sample and its acetylating agent with (13)C isotope ratio mass spectrometry

A novel method for deducing the origins of heroin and the reagent used for acetylation was established based on delta(13)C determinations of heroin and its hydrolysate, morphine, using gas chromatography (13)C isotope ratio mass spectrometry (GC-C-IRMS). The alkaline and acid hydrolysis conditions of heroin were optimized. Both yield and purity of morphine produced could meet the requirement for a GC-C-IRMS analysis. Using (2-diethylaminoethyl-2,2- diphenylvalerate) as internal standard the determinations of heroin and morphine contents were performed with a GC method in a linear range of 0.2 to 2.0 mg ml(1) that was required to gain the isotope ratio results. The hydrolysis and synthesis of heroin did not change the delta(13)C value of morphine. The precision for delta(13)C detection of both heroin and morphine was sufficient for origin differentiation of heroin samples. The information about the origins of acetylation reagents could be deduced from the difference of delta(13)C values between heroin and morphine. The results for origin differentiation of 10 heroin samples grouped into different regions and their acetylating agents were satisfactory.     

Amperometric morphine sensing using a molecularly imprinted polymer-modified electrode

This study incorporates morphine into a molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) for the amperometric detection of morphine. The polymer, poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene), PEDOT, is an electroactive film that catalyzes morphine oxidation and lowers the oxidization potential on an indium tin oxide (ITO) electrode. The MIP-PEDOT modified electrode is prepared by electropolymerizing PEDOT onto an ITO electrode in a 0.1 M LiClO₄ solution with template addition (morphine). After template molecule extraction, the oxidizing current of the MIP-PEDOT modified electrode is measured in a 0.1 M KCl solution (pH = 5.3) at 0.75 V (versus Ag/AgCl/sat’d KCl) with the morphine concentration varying in the 0.1-5 mM range. A linear range, displaying the relationship between steady-state currents and morphine concentrations, from 0.1 to 1 mM, is obtained. The proposed amperometric sensor could be used for morphine detection with a sensitivity of 91.86 μA/cm² per mM. A detection limit of 0.2 mM at a signal-to-noise ratio of 3 is achieved. Moreover, the proposed method can discriminate between morphine and its analogs, such as codeine.     

Use of evaporative light scattering detection for the quality control of drug substances: Influence of different liquid chromatographic and evaporative light scattering detector parameters on the appearance of spike peaks

High performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with evaporative light scattering detection (ELSD) is a versatile, easy to use and inexpensive alternative when it comes to the analysis of substances lacking a chromophor for UV detection. However, in pharmaceutical analysis injection of highly concentrated test solutions are normally required to control impurities at low levels. Under these conditions spike peaks were observed in the chromatograms of the test solutions making a proper evaluation of the impurity profile impossible. The influence of different eluent and ELSD parameters such as eluent composition, eluent flow-rate, ELSD scavenger gas flow-rate and evaporation temperature on the appearance of spike peaks was investigated. It could be shown that spike peaks can be avoided when selecting elevated eluent flow-rates and ESLD scavenger gas flow-rates. Moreover, eluents containing high amounts of organic modifier seem to foster the appearance of spike peaks.     

Direct tandem mass spectrometry for the simultaneous assay of opioids,cocaine and metabolites in dried urine spots

A micro-analytical method based on spotting urine samples (20 μL) onto blood/urine spot collection cards followed by air-drying and extraction (dried urine spot, DUS) was developed and validated for the screening/confirmation assay of morphine, 6-methylacetylmorphine (6-MAM), codeine, cocaine and benzoylecgonine (BZE). Acetonitrile (3 mL) was found to be a useful solvent for target extraction from DUSs under an orbital-horizontal stirring at 180 rpm for 10 min. Determinations were performed by direct electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry (ESI-MS/MS) under positive electrospray ionization conditions, and by using multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) with one precursor ion/product ion transition for the identification and quantification (deuterated analogs of each target as internal standards) of each analyte. The limits of detection of the method were 0.26, 0.94, 1.5, 1.1, and 2.0 ng mL⁻¹, for cocaine, BZE, codeine, morphine and 6-MAM, respectively; whereas, relative standard deviations of intra- and inter-day precision were lower than 8 and 11%, respectively, and intra- and inter-day analytical recoveries ranged from 94 ± 4 to 105 ± 3%. The small volume of urine required (20 μL), combined with the simplicity of the analytical technique makes it a useful procedure for screening/quantifying drugs of abuse. The method was successfully applied to the analysis of urine from polydrug abusers.     

Studies on sustained-release suppositories. III. Rectal absorption of morphine in rabbits and prolongation of its absorption by alginic acid addition

Rectal absorption of morphine from various kinds of suppository bases was investigated. The extent of bioavailability of morphine by rectal administration varied with the bases used (30.5-97.5%), but every value was higher than that in the case of oral administration (13.5%). Witepsol bases were preferable to macrogol base for the rectal absorption of morphine. In particular, Witepsol S-55 or W-35 gave a higher plasma peak level than H-15 or E-75, whereas the difference in the mean residence times obtained from these bases could not be regarded as significant. Sustained-release suppositories of morphine could be prepared simply by mixing alginic acid (Alg) with morphine in a suppository base. Further, prolonged rectal absorption could be obtained by using these sustained-release suppositories, and the absorption rate was controlled by the amount of Alg added. It seems likely that the sustained release was due to the binding of morphine to Alg from the results of partition coefficient and binding ratio measurements in aqueous solution. The rapid initial absorption and the subsequent prolonged absorption of morphine simultaneously obtained from the morphine-Alg suppository may be useful in the clinical context.     

Column-switching high-performance liquid chromatographic detection of pholcodine and its metabolites in urine with fluorescence and electrochemical detection.

A sensitive and selective method for the detection of pholcodine and its metabolite morphine in urine using high-performance liquid chromatography is described. It involves on-line clean-up of urine on a trace enrichment column packed with a polymeric strong cation-exchange material. Pholcodine and its metabolites were separated on two analytical columns with different selectivities. Pholcodine was detected by a fluorescence detector and morphine was detected electrochemically. One system, based on reversed-phase chromatography, applied a polystyrene-divinylbenzene column and gradient elution. The other system was based on normal-phase chromatography with a silica column and isocratic elution. Morphine was confirmed to be a metabolite of pholcodine by reversed-phase chromatography and electrochemical detection. Two unidentified metabolites of pholcodine were separated from pholcodine by normal-phase chromatography and detected by fluorescence detection.     

Simultaneous determination of three opiates in serum by micellar liquid chromatography using direct injection

A simple and reliable micellar liquid chromatographic method was developed for the simultaneous determination of 3 opiates (codeine, morphine, and thebaine) in serum, using direct injection and ultraviolet detection. The separation of the drugs was optimized on a C18 column, thermostatically controlled at 25 degrees C, by evaluating mobile phases containing sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) and various modifiers (propanol, butanol, or pentanol). Adequate resolution of the opiates was obtained with a chemometrics approach, in which retention was modeled as a first step by using the retention factors for several mobile phases. Next, an optimization criterion that takes into account the position and shape of the chromatographic peaks was applied. The 3 opiates were totally resolved and determined in 12 min with the mobile phase 0.15M SDS-7% (v/v) butanol buffered at pH 7. The limits of detection for codeine and morphine were greatly improved by using fluorimetric detection. Repeatability and intermediate precision were tested for 3 different concentrations of the drugs, and the relative standard deviations were <0.8% for most of the assays. Finally, the method was successfully applied to the determination of morphine and codeine in serum samples.     

Determination of native folates in milk and other dairy products by high-performance liquid chromatography

Folates were measured in dairy products by high-performance liquid chromatography without prior sample clean-up. Detection limits for individual folates range from 0.3 to 7.3 ng/g. The folates were extracted from the sample matrix by adjusting the pH to 4.5 with acetic acid, centrifuging to remove precipitated proteins, and treating with conjugase to remove multiple polyglutamate residues. Folates were separated from other sample components using a reversed-phase column with a methanol-phosphate buffer (pH 6.8), and ion-pairing with tetrabutylammonium ion. Fluorescence was found to be the most useful detection technique. Fluorescence detection of reduced forms of the vitamin was achieved by post-column pH adjustment of the eluent with phosphoric acid, while the parent folic acid molecule required chemical oxidation with hypochlorite in order to obtain a fluorescent response.     

Determination of chemical warfare agents and related compounds in environmental samples by solid-phase microextraction with gas chromatography

Solid phase microextraction (SPME) is an increasingly common method of sample isolation and enhancement. SPME is a convenient and simple sample preparation technique for chromatographic analysis and a useful alternative to liquid-liquid extraction and solid phase extraction. SPME is speed and simply method, which has been widely used in environmental analysis because it is a rather safe method when dealing with highly toxic chemicals. A combination of SPME and gas chromatography (GC) permits both the qualitative and quantitative analysis of toxic industrial compounds, pesticides and chemical warfare agents (CWAs), including their degradation products, in air, water and soil samples. This work presents a combination of SPME and GC methods with various types of detectors in the analysis of CWAs and their degradation products in air, water, soil and other matrices. The combination of SPME and GC methods allows for low detection limits depending on the analyte, matrix and detection system. Commercially available fibers have been mainly used to extract CWAs in headspace analysis. However, attempts have been made to introduce new fiber coatings that are characterized by higher selectivities towards different analytes of interest. Environmental decomposition of CWAs leads to the formation of more hydrophilic products. These compounds may be isolated from samples using SPME and analyzed using GC however, they must often be derivatized first to produce good chromatography. In these cases, one must ensure that the SPME method also meets the same needs. Otherwise, it is helpful to use derivatization methods. SPME may also be used with fieldportable mass spectrometry (MS) and GC-MS instruments for chemical defense applications, including field sampling and analysis. SPME fibers can be taken into contaminated areas to directly sample air, headspaces above solutions, soils and water.     

An introduction to bismuth film electrode for use in cathodic electrochemical detection

A new electrode surface design, the bismuth film electrode (BiFE), is presented as a promising alternative to mercury and other solid electrodes for direct cathodic electrochemical detection of organic compounds. The preparation of the BiFE, involving an ex situ electroplating of metallic bismuth onto a glassy carbon (GC) substrate electrode, was optimised. The useful negative potential windows of the BiFE in the pH range 1 (−0.2 to −0.8 V vs Ag/AgCl) to 10 (−0.2 to −1.5 V) were determined. The reproducibility of measuring 2-nitrophenol as a model compound (relative standard deviation, r.s.d., n=10) was found to be 0.5% at the same BiFE, and 1.0% at successive newly prepared BiFEs. No polishing or any other pre-treatment of the substrate GC surface was required prior to re-plating of a new Bi film. The BiFE showed similar or even favourable voltammetric behaviour when compared to mercury and bare GC electrodes, and was successfully tested for amperometric detection under hydrodynamic conditions. The results revealed that BiFE is an attractive new non-mercury metallic electrode particularly suitable for cathodic electrochemical detection in flow analytical systems.     

Direct and Simple Electrochemical Determination of Morphine at PEDOT Modified Pt Electrode

A simple and rapid method for morphine detection is described based on PEDOT electrode in the presence of SDS. The electrochemistry of morphine is investigated by CV, LSV and SWV. The effect of common interferences on the current response of morphine namely AA and UA is studied. The electrode is applied to the selective determination of morphine in urine samples in the linear ranges 0.3–8 µmol L^?1 and 10–60 µmol L^?1, with low detection limits of 50 and 68 nmol L^?1, respectively and recovery of 96.4 %. The application of PEDOT is realized in determination of morphine in tablets successfully.     

Simultaneous solid-phase extraction and chromatographic analysis of morphine and hydromorphone in plasma by high-performance liquid chromatography with electrochemical detection.

High-performance liquid chromatography has become an important analytical tool for the quantitation of opioid drugs. Using solid-phase extraction and coulometric electrochemical detection, we have developed a chromatographic method for the simultaneous measurement of morphine and hydromorphone which is both sensitive and specific. Using 1 ml of plasma, intra-assay and inter-assay data show that the detection limit for accurate quantitation of these compounds is about 1.2 ng/ml (coefficient of variation 11.6%) for morphine and 2.5 ng/ml (coefficient of variation 10.5%) for hydromorphone. The method is simple and readily adaptable to most pharmacokinetic studies and toxic screens involving these drugs.