Quantification of five compounds with heterogeneous physicochemical properties (morphine, 6-monoacetylmorphine, cyamemazine, meprobamate and caffeine) in 11 fluids and tissues, using automated solid-phase extraction and gas chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry.

Abstract

An automated solid-phase extraction (SPE) protocol followed by gas chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry was developed for quantification of caffeine, cyamemazine, meprobamate, morphine and 6-monoacetylmorphine (6-MAM) in 11 biological matrices [blood, urine, bile, vitreous humor, liver, kidney, lung and skeletal muscle, brain, adipose tissue and bone marrow (BM)]. The assay was validated for linearity, within- and between-day precision and accuracy, limits of quantification, selectivity, extraction recovery (ER), sample dilution and autosampler stability on BM. For the other matrices, partial validation was performed (limits of quantification, linearity, within-day precision, accuracy, selectivity and ER). The lower limits of quantification were 12.5 ng/mL(ng/g) for 6-MAM, morphine and cyamemazine, 100 ng/mL(ng/g) for meprobamate and 50 ng/mL(ng/g) for caffeine. Analysis of real-case samples demonstrated the performance of the assay in forensic toxicology to investigate challenging cases in which, for example, blood is not available or in which analysis in alternative matrices could be relevant. The SPE protocol was also assessed as an extraction procedure that could target other relevant analytes of interest. The extraction procedure was applied to 12 molecules of forensic interest with various physicochemical properties (alimemazine, alprazolam, amitriptyline, citalopram, cocaine, diazepam, levomepromazine, nordazepam, tramadol, venlafaxine, pentobarbital and phenobarbital). All drugs were able to be detected at therapeutic concentrations in blood and in the alternate matrices.