Abstract
The recent emergence of new fentanyl analogues and synthetic opioids on the drug market poses a global public health threat. However, these compounds cannot typically be identified using existing analytical methods. In this study, we aimed to develop and validate a rapid and sensitive method based on ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry (UHPLC-MS/MS) for the simultaneous determination of 37 fentanyl analogues and novel synthetic opioids in hair samples. Hair samples (20 mg) were extracted by cryogenic grinding in an extraction medium of methanol, acetonitrile, and 2 mmol/L ammonium acetate (pH 5.3). Following centrifugation of the samples, the analytes were separated using a WATERS Acquity UPLC HSS T3 column. The limits of detection (LODs) and limits of quantification (LOQs) ranged from 0.5 to 2.5 pg/mg and from 2 to 5 pg/mg, respectively. The intraday and interday precisions were within 13.32% at LOQ, low, medium, and high levels. The accuracies were within the range of 85.63–116.1%. The extraction recoveries were in the range of 89.42–119.68%, and the matrix effects were within the range of 44.81–119.77%. Furthermore, the method was successfully applied to the detection and quantification of fentanyl and sufentanil in hair samples from two authentic cases. Thus, this method has great potential for detecting fentanyl analogues and novel synthetic opioids in forensic work.
Highlights
New psychoactive substances (NPSs) have emerged in illicit m arkets[1,2]
As a consequence of increasing fatalities and the emergence of new fentanyl analogues and novel synthetic opioids, forensic laboratories must update their analytical methods for the identification and quantification of these drugs in various biological matrices
The developed method was successfully applied to authentic cases
Summary
New psychoactive substances (NPSs) have emerged in illicit m arkets[1,2]. many countries are trying to curb this trend, e.g., more than 170 NPSs are currently controlled in China, NPSs still pose a threat to public health. Fentanyl and its analogues, which have high potency and numerous side effects, e.g., respiratory depression, have caused many fatalities[7] This problem is further aggravated by the easy availability of these substances via complex international networks and their use with other drugs[6,8,9]. Fentanyl is metabolized quickly in vivo, as the half-life of fentanyl in adults is 3.7 h and in infants is 5.3–21.1 h22 To supplement these methods, it is necessary to develop methods for analyzing hair samples. Compared with other methods, such as gas chromatography with nitrogen–phosphorous detection[28] and gas chromatography–mass spectrometry[29], liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry[30,31] is promising for analyzing fentanyl and its analogues in hair owing to its short analysis time, selectivity, and sensitivity
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