Simultaneous supercritical fluid extraction and chemical derivatization for the gas chromatographic–isotope dilution mass spectrometric determination of amphetamine and methamphetamine in urine

An in-situ supercritical fluid extraction (SFE) and chemical derivatization (ChD) procedure followed by gas chromatography–isotope dilution mass spectrometry (GC–MS) for the determination of amphetamines in urine is described and evaluated. While using celite as the SFE wet-support, the one-pot sample pretreatment procedure also employs ammonium water to alkalize the urine matrix that contains protonated amphetamine (AP) and methamphetamine (MA). The mean recoveries achieved by simultaneous SFE–ChD, i.e., 95% (RSD=3.8%) for AP and 89% (RSD=4.0%) for MA, are significantly better than the corresponding overall recoveries obtained upon stepwise SFE–ChD, suggesting the unreacted trifluoroacetic anhydride (TFA) in the former procedure has strengthened the extracting power of CO₂ fluid as has been evidenced by a control test. As to GC–MS analysis, the optimal qualitative ions and quantitative ions of the respective analytes were determined via a rigorous evaluation process. Thus, the regression calibration curves for AP and MA in urine are linear within 100∼50 000 ng/ml, with correlation coefficients typically exceeding 0.999. The limits of detection determined by two methods for AP and MA vary from 19 to 50 ng/ml, and limits of quantitation from 21 to 100 ng/ml. Precisions calculated for the triplicate analyses of AP and MA in a 500-ng/ml spiked control, two real-case samples and two quasi real-case samples, respectively, using regression calibration are typically below 10%. The method is simple and reliable. It may serve as an alternative to the existing confirmatory protocol for forensic urine drug testing.     

Routine analysis of amphetamine and methamphetamine in biological materials by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry and on-column derivatization

A simple determination method of amphetamine (AP) and methamphetamine (MA) in biological materials was developed using on-column derivatization and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). AP and MA in biological materials were adsorbed on the surface of Extrelut and then extracted and derivatized simultaneously on the Extrelut column. AP and MA were derivatized to the N-propoxycarbonyl derivatives using propylchloroformate. Pentadeuterated MA was used as an internal standard. The recoveries of AP and MA from urine were 88.2 and 92.5%, and those from blood were 89.7 and 90.3%, respectively. The calibration curves showed linearity in the range of 12.5-2000 ng/ml (ng/g) for AP and MA in urine and blood, and 0.25-20 ng/mg in hair. When urine samples containing two different concentrations (200 and 1000 ng/ml) of AP and MA, blood samples containing two different concentrations (200 and 1000 ng/g) of AP and MA, hair samples containing two different concentrations (0.5 and 5.0 ng/mg) of AP and MA, the coefficients of variation of intra-day and inter-day were 0.68-3.60% in urine, 0.42-4.58% in blood, and 1.20-13.1% in hair. Furthermore, this proposed method was applied to a medico-legal case of MA intoxication.     

Enantiomeric determination of amphetamines: exploring a novel one-step solid-phase microextraction-based approach

The recent advances in fiber manufacturing technology, solid-phase microextraction (SPME) is now widely studied for its effectiveness for the pretreatment of various categories of samples. This study explores a novel SPME approach for enantiomeric analysis of amphetamines, in which absorption/derivatization are accomplished in one step. Specifically, (S)-(-)-N-(Trifluoroacetyl)-prolyl chloride was adopted as the chiral derivatizing reagent and added directly into the sample matrix. Analytical parameters, such as temperature, absorption/desorption duration, and the amount of derivatizing reagent, were studied to determine their effects on the yield of analytes. The derivatization products resulting from this study show excellent desorption characteristics on the polydimethylsiloxane-coated fiber adopted in this study. Optimal operational parameters (absorption: 70 degrees C for 10 min; injection: 250 degrees C for 5 min) cause minimal negative impact on the fiber, allowing repeated use of the fiber for more than 30 times. For quantitation, data were collected under selected ion monitoring (SIM) mode using m/z 237 and 251 to designate derivatized amphetamine and methamphetamine. This method was evaluated and proved to be effective in (a) quantitative determination of the enantiomeric pairs of amphetamine and methamphetamine--in terms of repeatability, linearity, and limits of detection and quantitation; and (b) generating case-specimen data comparable to those derived from a conventional Liquid-liquid extraction approach. Good linearity for the calibration curves were established in the range of 1000-50 ng/mL for both analytes. The limits of detection for these analytes were 30 ng/mL.     

Analysis of benzphetamine and its metabolites in rat urine by liquid chromatography–electrospray ionization mass spectrometry

An analytical method to identify and determine benzphetamine (BMA) and its five metabolites in urine was developed by liquid chromatography–electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (LC–ESI–MS) using the solid-phase extraction column Bond Elut SCX. Deuterium-labeled compounds, used as internal standards, were separated chromatographically from each corresponding unlabeled compound in the alkaline mobile phase with an alkaline-resistant ODS column. This method was applied to the identification and determination of BMA and its metabolites in rat urine collected after oral administration of BMA. Under the selected ion monitoring mode, the limit of quantitation (signal-to-noise ratio 10) for BMA, N-benzylamphetamine (BAM), p-hydroxybenzphetamine (p-HBMA), p-hydroxy-N-benzylamphetamine (p-HBAM), methamphetamine (MA) and amphetamine (AM) was 700 pg, 300 pg, 500 pg, 1.4 ng, 6 ng and 10 ng in 1 ml of urine, respectively. This analytical method for p-HBMA, structurally closer to the unchanged drug of all the metabolites, was very sensitive, making this a viable metabolite for discriminating the ingestion of BMA longer than the parent drug or other metabolites in rat.     

Application of solid-phase microextraction combined with derivatization to the determination of amphetamines by liquid chromatography

This work evaluates the utility of solid-phase microextraction (SPME) in the analysis of amphetamines by liquid chromatography (LC) after chemical derivatization of the analytes. Two approaches have been tested and compared, SPME followed by on-fiber derivatization of the extracted amphetamines, and solution derivatization followed by SPME of the derivatives formed. Both methods have been applied to measure amphetamine (AP), methamphetamine (MA), and 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA), using the fluorogenic reagent 9-fluorenylmethyl chloroformate (FMOC) and carbowax-templated resin (CW-TR)-coated fibers. Data on the application of the proposed methods for the analysis of different kind of samples are presented. When analyzing aqueous solutions of the analytes, both approaches gave similar analytical performance, but the sensitivity attainable with the solution derivatization/SPME method was better. The efficiencies observed when processing spiked urine samples by the SPME/on-fiber derivatization approach were very low. This was because the extraction of matrix components into the fiber coating prevented the extraction of the reagent. In contrast, the efficiencies obtained for spiked urine samples by the solution derivatization/SPME approach were similar to those obtained for aqueous samples. Therefore, the later method would be the method of choice for the quantification of amphetamines in urine.     

Simultaneous determination of four active alkaloids from a traditional Chinese medicine Corydalis saxicola Bunting. (Yanhuanglian) in plasma and urine samples by LC-MS-MS

A sensitive rapid method for the simultaneous determination of four major active alkaloids (dehydrocavidine, coptisine, dehydroapocavidine, and tetradehydroscoulerine, in abbreviation thereafter called YHL-I, YHL-II, YHL-III, and YHL-IV, respectively) from a Chinese traditional medicine Corydalis saxicola Bunting. (Yanhuanglian) in rat plasma and urine was established and validated. The assay for these substances in plasma and urine was based on HPLC coupled with tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS) detection using multiple reaction monitoring mode (MRM) with berberine and clenbuterol as internal standards. The plasma and urine sample were deproteinated by adding methanol prior to liquid chromatography where separation was performed on a Luna column (5 microm, 100 x 2.00 mm) and an Agilent Zorbax SB-C18 guard column (5 microm, 20 x 4 mm). The method was validated with the concentration range 1-1000 ng/mL in plasma and 10-1000 ng/mL in urine for the four test compounds, and the calibration curves were linear with correlation coefficients >0.999. The lowest limits of quantitation for all four substances were 1 ng/mL in 0.1 mL rat plasma and 10 ng/mL in 0.1 mL urine. The intra-assay accuracy and precision in plasma ranged from 88.1 to 115.7% and 1.4 to 10.8%, respectively, while inter-assay accuracy and precision for YHL-I, YHL-II, YHL-III, and YHL-IV ranged from 96.2 to 113.2% and 0.4 to 16.9%, respectively. The intra-assay accuracy and precision for YHL-I, YHL-II, YHL-III, and YHL-IV in rat urine ranged from 96.1 to 112.9% and 1.2 to 8.3%, respectively, while inter-assay accuracy and precision ranged from 95.0 to 106.8% and 2.2 to 10.3%, respectively. The method was further applied to assess pharmacokinetics and urine excretion of the four alkaloids after oral and intravenous administration to rats. Practical utility of this new LC-MS-MS method was confirmed in pilot pharmacokinetic studies in rats following both intravenous and oral administration.     

LC/MS/MS measurement of penicillin G in bovine plasma, urine, and biopsy samples taken from kidneys of standing animals

Methods for the measurement of penicillin concentration in bovine plasma, kidney and urine were developed and validated. Detection was based on liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry (LC/MS/MS). Phenethecillin was used as an internal standard. Plasma was extracted with acetonitrile using a method with a calculated limit of quantitation (LOQ) of 12 ng/mL. Kidney samples were homogenized in water and acetonitrile, then cleaned up on C18-bonded silica SPE cartridges. The LOQ of this procedure was 10 ng/g. Urine samples were diluted, filtered, and analyzed directly. The LOQ of this procedure was 63 ng/mL. The overall accuracy for plasma was 103% with coefficient of variation (CV) of 3%; for kidney, 96% and 11%, respectively, and for urine, 98% and 4%, respectively. These methods were applied to the analysis of plasma, urine, and kidney biopsy samples taken from standing animals that had been dosed with penicillin.     

Detection of ketamine and its metabolites in urine by ultra high pressure liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry

Current analytical methods used for screening drugs and their metabolites in biological samples from victims of drug-facilitated sexual assault (DFSA) or other vulnerable groups can lack sufficient sensitivity. The application of liquid chromatography, employing small particle sizes, with tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS) is likely to offer the sensitivity required for detecting candidate drugs and/or their metabolites in urine, as demonstrated here for ketamine. Ultra-performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS) was performed following extraction of urine (4 mL) using mixed-mode (cation and C8) solid-phase cartridges. Only 20 microL of the 250 microL extract was injected, leaving sufficient volume for other assays important in DFSA cases. Three ion transitions were chosen for confirmatory purposes. As ketamine and norketamine (including their stable isotopes) are available as reference standards, the assay was additionally validated for quantification purposes to study elimination of the drug and primary metabolite following a small oral dose of ketamine (50 mg) in 6 volunteers. Dehydronorketamine, a secondary metabolite, was also analyzed qualitatively to determine whether monitoring could improve retrospective detection of administration. The detection limit for ketamine and norketamine was 0.03 ng/mL and 0.05 ng/mL, respectively, and these compounds could be confirmed in urine for up to 5 and 6 days, respectively. Dehydronorketamine was confirmed up to 10 days, providing a very broad window of detection.     

Validation of a sensitive LC-MS assay for quantification of glyburide and its metabolite 4-transhydroxy glyburide in plasma and urine: an OPRU Network study

Glyburide (glibenclamide, INN), a second generation sulfonylurea is widely used in the treatment of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM). None of the previously reported analytical methods provide adequate sensitivity for the expected sub-nanogram/mL maternal and umbilical cord plasma concentrations of glyburide during pregnancy. We developed and validated a sensitive and low sample volume liquid chromatographic-mass spectrometric (LC-MS) method for simultaneous determination of glyburide (GLY) and its metabolite, 4-transhydroxy glyburide (M1) in human plasma (0.5 mL) or urine (0.1 mL). The limits of quantitation (LOQ) for GLY and M1 in plasma were 0.25 and 0.40 ng/mL, respectively whereas it was 1.06 ng/mL for M1 in urine. As measured by quality control samples, precision (% coefficient of variation) of the assay was <15% whereas the accuracy (% deviation from expected) ranged from -10.1 to 14.3%. We found that the GLY metabolite, M1 is excreted in the urine as the glucuronide-conjugate.     

Direct detection and quantification of 19-norandrosterone sulfate in human urine by liquid chromatography-linear ion trap mass spectrometry

19-Norandrosterone sulfate (19-NAS) is the sulfoconjugated form of 19-norandrosterone (19-NA), the major metabolite of the steroid nandrolone. A sensitive and accurate liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) assay was developed for the direct measurement of 19-NAS in human urine samples. The method involved a quaternary amine SPE protocol and subsequently injection of the extract onto an analytical column (Uptisphere ODB, 150 mm x 3.0 mm, 5 microm) for chromatographic separation and mass spectrometry detection in negative electrospray ionisation mode. The sulfoconjugate of 19-NA was identified in urine by comparison of mass spectra and retention time with a reference substance. The limit of detection (LOD) and lowest limit of quantification (LLOQ) of 19-NAS were of 40 pg/mL and 200 pg/mL, respectively. For a nominal concentration of 2 ng/mL, recovery (94%), intra-day precision (2.7%), intra-assay precision (6.6%) and inter-assay precision (14.3%) were determined. Finally, this analytical method was applied for quantifying the concentration of 19-NAS in doping samples, using calibration curves (0.2-20 ng/mL) and the standard-addition method. The results show the feasibility of applying this LC-MS/MS assay as a complementary tool to detect misuse of nandrolone or nandrolone precursors.     

Single hair analysis of methamphetamine and amphetamine by solid phase microextraction coupled with in matrix derivatization

A sensitive method for detection of methamphetamine (MA) and amphetamine (AP) in human hair was developed using solid phase microextraction (SPME) and one-pot derivatization. MA and AP were directly derivatized to N-propoxycarbonyl derivatives in an aqueous solution by propylchloroformate in a one-pot reaction before extraction by SPME. The derivatives were extracted to a coating of SPME from a headspace of the vial. The adsorbed derivatives were thermally desorbed in the injection port of a gas chromatograph. Pentadeuterated MA was used as an internal standard. The absolute recoveries of MA and AP from the spiked hair were 2.80-17.5%, respectively. The calibration curves showed linearity in the range of 0.05-20 ng/0.08 mg/vial for MA and 0.1-20 ng/0.08 mg/vial for AP in hair. Detection limits (S/N = 3) of MA and AP were 0.02 and 0.05 ng/0.08 mg/vial. The coefficients of variation of intraday were 1.04-26.4%. Additionally, this proposed method was applied to segmental analysis in clinical and medico-legal cases of MA intoxication.     

Determination of free desmosine and isodesmosine as urinary biomarkers of lung disorder using ultra performance liquid chromatography-ion mobility-mass spectrometry

The elastin degradation products, desmosine (DES) and isodesmosine (IDES) are highly stable, cross-linking amino-acids that are unique to mature elastin. The excretion of DES/IDES in urine, in the free form and with associated peptide fragments, provides an indicator of lung damage in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). A quantitative ion mobility-mass spectrometry (IM-MS) method has been developed for the analysis of free DES/IDES in urine with deuterated IDES as an internal standard. Resolution of DES/IDES isomers was achieved in less than five minutes using ultra performance liquid chromatography (UPLC) combined with ion pairing. The optimized UPLC-IM-MS method provided a linear dynamic range of 10-300 ng/mL and a limit of quantitation of 0.028 ng/mL for IDES and 0.03 ng/mL for DES (0.55 ng and 0.61 ng on column respectively). The method reproducibility (%RSD) was <4% for DES and IDES. The UPLC-IM-MS method was applied to the analysis of urine samples obtained from healthy volunteers and COPD patients. The DES/IDES concentrations in healthy and COPD urine showed an increase in DES (79%) and IDES (74%) in the COPD samples, relative to healthy controls. The incorporation of an IM separation prior to m/z measurement by MS was shown to reduce non-target ion responses from the bio-fluid matrix.     

A rapid and sensitive method for the quantitation of montelukast in sheep plasma using liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry

A rapid LC-MS/MS method was developed and partially validated for the quantitation of montelukast in spiked sheep plasma. A total run time of 1.5 min was achieved using a short monolithic column and employing a rapid gradient. Sample preparation involved protein precipitation with twofold acetonitrile by volume during which a deuterated internal standard (montelukast D-6) was incorporated. The MRM transitions for montelukast and the deuterated internal standard were 586/422 and 592/427, respectively. A linear dynamic range of 0.25-500 ng/mL with a correlation coefficient of 0.9999 was achieved. Precision was below 5% at all levels except at the LOQ (0.36 ng/mL) which demonstrated an overall of R.S.D. of 8%. Post-column infusion experiments were performed with precipitated plasma matrix and showed minimal interference with the peaks of interest.     

Determination of 1,2-bis (2-aminophenoxy)ethane-N,N,N',N'-tetraacetic acid (BAPTA free acid) in rat plasma, urine and feces by liquid chromatography with UV and tandem mass spectrometric detection

BAPTA free acid was identified as the main metabolic product of 1,2-bis(2-aminophenoxy)ethane-N,N,N',N'-tetraacetic acid tetra(actoxymethyl ester) (BAPTA-AM), a neuroprotective agent in cerebral ischemia, in rats. In this paper, liquid chromatography-ultraviolet (LC-UV) and mass spectrometry/mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) methods were employed for the determination of BAPTA free acid in rat urine and feces and rat plasma, respectively. By liquid-liquid extraction and LC-UV analysis, a limit of quantitation of 1000 ng/ml using 0.2 ml rat urine for extraction and 250 ng/ml using 1 ml rat fecal homogenate supernatant for extraction could be reached. The assay was linear in the range of 1000-50,000 ng/ml for rat urine and 250-10,000 ng/ml for rat fecal homogenate supernatant. Because the sensitivity of the LC-UV method was apparently insufficient for evaluating the pharmacokinetic profile of BAPTA in rat plasma, a LC-MS/MS method was subsequently developed for the analysis of BAPTA free acid. By protein precipitation and LC-MS/MS analysis, the limit of quantitation was 5 ng/ml using 0.1 ml rat plasma and the linear range was 5.0-500 ng/ml. Both methods were validated and can be used to support a thorough preclinical pharmacokinetic evaluation of BAPTA-AM liposome injection.     

Simultaneous quantitation of aconitine, mesaconitine, hypaconitine, benzoylaconine, benzoylmesaconine and benzoylhypaconine in human plasma by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry and pharmacokinetics evaluation of "SHEN-FU" injectable powder

A rapid, specific and sensitive liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC/MS/MS) method was developed for simultaneous quantitation of six Aconitum alkaloids, i.e. aconitine (AC), mesaconitine (MA), hypaconitine (HA), benzoylaconine (BAC), benzoylmesaconine (BMA) and benzoylhypaconine (BHA) in human plasma collected from 18 healthy volunteers after intravenous drop infusion of "SHEN-FU" injectable powder in three different dosages. Lappaconitine was selected as the internal standard (IS). LC/MS/MS system coupled with an electrospray ionization (ESI) source was performed in multiple-reaction monitoring (MRM) mode. The transitions of the Aconitum alkaloids executed as following: m/z 646.3-->586.0 for AC; m/z 632.4-->573.1 for MA; m/z 616.2-->556.1 for HA; m/z 604.2-->104.8 for BAC; m/z 590.1-->104.8 for BMA; m/z 574.1-->104.8 for BHA; m/z 585.2-->161.8 for IS. Sample preparation was performed with solid-phase extraction (SPE) on a 1 mL HLB cartridge prior to analysis. The separation was applied on a Waters C(18) column (1.7 microm, 2.1 mm x 100 mm) and a gradient elution of methanol and 0.1% formic acid-water was used as mobile phase. The retention time was less than 4.5 min. The concentrations ranged from 0.1 to 1000 ng/mL for all six Aconitum alkaloids and showed a good linearity with the correlation coefficient (r(2)) >0.995. The validated method was employed to simultaneous quantitation and successfully used for the first time for the pharmacokinetic evaluation of the six Aconitum alkaloids after intravenous drop administration of "SHEN-FU" injectable powder in phase I clinical trial.     

Determination of urinary triclosan by stir bar sorptive extraction and thermal desorption-gas chromatography-mass spectrometry

We have developed an analytical method for the determination of urinary 5-chloro-2-(2,4-dichlorophenoxy)phenol (triclosan), which utilizes stir bar sorptive extraction (SBSE) and thermal desorption (TD)-gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Human urine sample is de-conjugated by treatment with beta-glucuronidase and sulfatase. A stir bar coated with polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) is added to the urine sample in a vial and the sample is stirred for 60 min at room temperature (25 degrees C). Then, the PDMS stir bar is subjected to TD-GC-MS. The detection limit of triclosan is 0.05 ng mL(-1). The method shows linearity over the calibration range (0.1-10 ng mL(-1)) and the correlation coefficient (r) is higher than 0.993 for triclosan standard solution. The average recoveries of triclosan in human urine sample are 102.8-113.1% (RSD: 2.4-6.7%). This simple, sensitive, and selective analytical method may be used in the determination of trace amounts of triclosan in human urine samples.     

Direct high-performance liquid chromatographic and high-performance liquid chromatographic-thermospray-mass spectrometric determination of enantiomers of methamphetamine and its main metabolites amphetamine and p-hydroxymethamphetamine in human urine

For the identification of drug abuse, a simple and rapid method which allows us to distinguish enantiomers of methamphetamine (MA) and its metabolites amphetamine (AP) and p-hydroxymethamphetamine (p-OHMA) in human urine was explored by coupling direct HPLC and HPLC-thermospray-mass spectrometry (HPLC-TSP-MS) both of which employ a β-cyclodextrin phenylcarbamate-bonded silica column. HPLC analysis was performed after the solid-phase extraction from the urine sample with Bond Elut SCX, and d- and l-enantiomers of MA, AP and p-OHMA could be separated well. The proposed conditions are as follows: eluent, acetonitrile-methanol-50 mM potassium phosphate buffer (pH 6.0) (10:30:60, v/v) flow-rate, 1.0 ml/min temperature, 25°C. The linear calibration curves were obtained for d- and l- MA and AP in the concentration range from 0.2 to 20 μg/ml; the relative standard deviation for d- and l-AP and d- and, l-MA ranged from 1.67 to 2.35% at 2 μg/ml and the detection limits were 50 ng/ml for d- and l-AP and d-MA and 100 ng/ml for l-MA. For the verification of the direct HPLC identification, HPLC-TSP-MS was also carried out under the same conditions except that acetonitrile-methanol-100 mM ammonium acetate (pH 6.0) (10:30:60, v/v) was used as an eluent. Upon applying the scan mode, 10 ng/ml for d- and l-AP and d-MA and 20 ng/ml for l-MA were the detection limits. Using the selected ion monitoring mode, 0.5 ng/ml, 0.8 ng/ml and 1 ng/ml could be detected for d- and l-AP, d-MA and l-MA, respectively.     

Effect of disease state on ionization during bioanalysis of MK-7009, a selective HCV NS3/NS4 protease inhibitor,in human plasma and human Tween-treated urine by high-performance liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometric detection

HPLC–MS/MS methods for the determination of a Hepatitis C NS3/NS4 protease inhibitor (MK-7009) in human plasma and Tween-treated urine were developed and validated over the concentration range 1–1000 ng/mL and 0.2–100 μg/mL respectively. A stable isotope labeled internal standard (ISTD), D₄-MK-7009, was employed. Analytes were chromatographed by reversed phase HPLC and quantified by an MS/MS system. Electrospray ionization in the positive mode was employed. Multiple reaction monitoring of the precursor to product ion pairs m/z 758.6 → 637.4 MK-7009 and m/z 762.5 → 637.4 ISTD was used for quantitation. Analyte and internal standard were extracted from 250 μL of plasma using an automated 96-well liquid–liquid extraction. Plasma pH adjustment prior to extraction minimized ionization suppression in plasma samples from patients with Hepatitis C. The urine method involved direct dilution in the 96-well format of 0.020 mL Tween-treated urine. These methods have supported several clinical studies. Incurred plasma sample reanalysis demonstrated adequate assay reproducibility and ruggedness.     

Development of a reference material using methamphetamine abusers' hair samples for the determination of methamphetamine and amphetamine in hair

In the present study, we developed a reference material (RM) using authentic hair samples for the determination of methamphetamine (MA) and its main metabolite, amphetamine (AP) in human hair. MA abusers' hair samples were collected, homogenized and finally bottled. The concentration of each bottle was determined using two extraction methods, agitation with 1% HCl in methanol at 38 degrees C and ultrasonication with methanol/5M HCl (20:1), followed by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC-MS) after derivatization with trifluoroacetic anhydride (TFAA). Both analytical procedures were fully validated and their extraction efficiency was compared. The homogeneity of analytes was evaluated and their property values were determined with their uncertainties. The two methods were acceptable to analyze MA and AP in human hair through the validation and comparative studies using spiked and authentic hair samples as well as NIST SRM 2379 certified reference material. Satisfying homogeneity was reached for MA and AP in the prepared RM. Finally, a human hair RM containing MA and AP is prepared at the level of 7.64+/-1.24 and 0.54+/-0.07 ng/mg, respectively. This material can be useful in forensic laboratories for internal quality control and external quality assurance.