Postmortem determination of the biological distribution of sufentanil and midazolam after an acute intoxication

A case is presented of a death caused by self-injection of sufentanil and midazolam. Biological fluids and tissues were analyzed for midazolam by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) and for sufentanil by GC/MS. Midazolam was extracted from basified fluids or tissues homogenated with n-butyl chloride and analyzed by HPLC by using a phosphate buffer: acetonitrile (60:40) mobile phase on a mu-Bondapak C18 column at 240 nm. Sufentanil was extracted from basified fluids and tissue homogenates with hexane:ethanol (19:1). GC/MS methodology for both compounds consisted of chromatographic separation on a 15-m by 0.25-mm inside diameter (ID) DB-5 (1.0-micron-thick film) bonded phase fused silica capillary column with helium carrier (29 cm/s) splitless injection at 260 degrees C; column 200 degrees C (0.8 min) 10 degrees C/min to 270 degrees C; and electron ionization and multiple ion detection for midazolam (m/z 310), methaqualone (IS, m/z 235), sufentanil (m/z 289), and fentanyl (IS, m/z 245). Sufentanil concentrations were: blood 1.1 ng/mL, urine 1.3 ng/mL, vitreous humor 1.2 ng/mL, liver 1.75 ng/g, and kidney 5.5 ng/g. Midazolam concentrations were: blood 50 ng/mL, urine 300 ng/mL, liver 930 ng/g, and kidney 290 ng/g. Cause of death was attributed to an acute sufentanil/midazolam intoxication and manner of death a suicide.     

Two fatal intoxication cases with imidacloprid: LC/MS analysis

Imidacloprid [1-(6-chloro-3pyridylmethyl)-N-nitroimidazolidin-2-ylideneamine] is a new and potent nitromethylene insecticide with high insecticidal activity at very low application rates. It is the first highly effective insecticide that, like nicotine, acts on the nervous system, causing blockage of postsynaptic nicotinergic acetylcholine receptors. Two fatal cases with this insecticide in two male individuals, of 33 and 66 years old, are presented. An LC/MS with electrospray method for measuring imidacloprid and its metabolites in post-mortem samples is described. In the chromatographic separation, a reverse-phase column XTerra MS C18 (2.1mm i.d.x 150 mm, 5 microm) was used and the mobile phase composed with acetonitrile and 0.1% formic acid (15:85), at a 0.25 mL/min flow rate. Samples were prepared with a liquid-liquid extraction procedure with dichloromethane. Calibration curves for imidacloprid in blood and urine samples were linear from 0.2 to 15 microg/mL. The mean recovery was 86% with a coefficient of variation of +/-5.9%. The detection limit was 0.002 microg/mL. Quantitative results were obtained for all post-mortem matrices available of the two fatal cases: blood, urine, stomach contents, lung, liver and kidney. The imidacloprid blood concentrations found in two-cases were 12.5 and 2.05 microg/mL. The authors validated a method to detect and quantify imidacloprid in post-mortem samples, and to our knowledge for the first time a post-mortem tissue distribution was performed on various samples for this insecticide.     

A validated SPME-GC-MS method for simultaneous quantification of club drugs in human urine

A solid-phase microextraction-gas chromatographic-mass spectrometric (SPME-GC-MS) method has been developed and validated for measuring four club drugs in human urine. These drugs include gamma-hydroxybutyrate (GHB), ketamine (KET), methamphetamine (MAMP), and methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA). These drugs are referred to as 'club drugs' because of their prevalence at parties and raves. Deuterium labeled internal standards for each of the four drugs was included in the assay to aid in quantitation. The drugs were spiked into human urine and derivatized using pyridine and hexylchloroformate to make them suitable for GC-MS analysis. The SPME conditions of extraction time/temperature and desorption time/temperature were optimized to yield the highest peak area for each of the four drugs. The final SPME parameters included a 90 degrees C extraction for 20min with a 1min desorption in the GC injector at 225 degrees C using a splitless injection. All SPME work was done using a 100microm PDMS fiber by Supelco. The ratio of pyridine to hexylchloroformate for derivatization was also optimized. The GC separation was carried out on a VF-5ht column by Varian (30m, 0.25mm i.d., 0.10microm film thickness) using a temperature program of 150-270 degrees C at 10 degrees C/min. The instrument used was a ThermoFinnigan Trace GC-Polaris Q interfaced with a LEAP CombiPal autosampler. The data was collected by using extracted ion chromatograms of marker m/z values for each drug from the total ion chromatograms (TIC) (full scan mode). Calibration curves with R(2)>0.99 were generated each day using the peak area ratios (peak area drug/peak area internal standard) versus concentration. The validated method resulted in intra-day and inter-day precision (% R.S.D.) of less than 15% and a % error of less than 15% for four concentrations in the range of 0.05-20microg/mL (MAMP) and 0.10-20microg/mL (GHB, KET, and MDMA). This method has the advantage of an easy sample preparation with acceptable accuracy and precision for the simultaneous quantification of these four drugs of abuse and shows no interference from the urine matrix.     

血清中盐酸曲马多的膜式固相萃取及GC／MS／SIM测定

目的建立血清中盐酸曲马多的膜式固相萃取(SPE)气-质联用分析方法。方法1mL血清用2mL0.1mol/L磷酸盐缓冲液(pH6)稀释后,用含有C18和强酸型强阳离子交换基团的SPECC18AR/MP3固相萃取柱萃取,洗脱液为含2%氨水的乙酸乙酯;选择SKF525作为内标物,用GC/MS/SIM定量测定。结果在加标量为0.1、0.2和0.5μg/mL的血清样品中,盐酸曲马多的回收率分别为98.9%、92.5%和84.8%,5次测定的RSD分别为3.2%、8.7%和10.9%;线性范围为0.1～4μg/mL,多项式回归相关系数r2=0.9939;检出限为21ng/mL;同一根萃取柱,连续使用5次,没有出现堵塞和污染,回收率及RSD未见下降。结论本方法适合于法医毒物分析。     

高效液相色谱法测定卡西酮

目的建立卡西酮的高效液相色谱检测方法。方法采用UPLC-DAD分析方法。分析柱:Agilent ZorbaxSB-Phenyl柱(250mm×4.6mm,5μm),流动相为三氟乙酸(pH 3.5)∶乙腈为85∶15,流速0.2mL/min,检测波长254nm。结果卡西酮在0.5～1 000μg/mL浓度范围内线性关系良好R2=0.999 4,日内与日间保留时间和峰面积的标准偏差(RSD)均<1.06%,检出限为0.068μg/mL,平均回收率95.9%。结论本方法峰形好,分离度好,线性范围良好,回收率高,适用于刑事案件中卡西酮的定性定量分析。     

Comparative analysis of gamma-hydroxybutyrate and gamma-hydroxyvalerate using GC/MS and HPLC

This paper describes two analytical techniques used to separate and quantify gamma-hydroxybutyrate (GHB) and gamma-hydroxyvalerate (GHV). The first technique was a N,O-bis(trimethylsilyl)triflouro-acetimide-trimethylchlorosilane derivatization, followed by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry analysis using an HP-5 capillary column at a rate of 1.0 mL/min with a run time of 9.25 min. This technique was found to be sensitive (LOD 1 pg on column) and gave a low average error (5%) in a beverage study. When supplemented by a surrogate spike, the method yielded 97% analyte recovery from beverages. The second technique was high-performance liquid chromatography/UV (HPLC/UV) using a C-18 column with a (20:80% v/v) methanol:dibasic phosphoric buffer (10 mM, pH 3) at a rate of 1.00 mL/min with a run time of 7.5 min. UV detection occurred at 254 nm. This method was found to be less sensitive (LOD 0.05 microg on column) for direct analysis of aqueous samples. To remove interferences seen in the beverage study, a liquid-liquid extraction before HPLC analysis was tested. However, a decreased sensitivity (LOD 100 microg on column) and irreproducible peak profiles resulted.     

液相色谱-质谱联用法测定人全血中灭多威

目的建立一种简便的测定人全血中灭多威的液相色谱-质谱联用法。方法样品处理采用液-液乙酸乙酯萃取方法。色谱柱为Zorbax SB-C18(2.1mm×50mm,5μm),流动相为乙腈-0.1%甲酸,梯度洗脱,流速为0.5mL/min,柱温40℃。采用ESI离子源,MRM离子方式监测。结果灭多威在0.05~2.0μg/mL浓度范围内线性良好(r0.995)。灭多威的方法回收率均在90%~108%的范围内,日内、日间RSD均小于15%。结论本方法可简单、高效地检测全血中灭多威浓度。     

Determination of paraquat in tissue using ion-pair chromatography in conjunction with spectrophotometry

Homogenized tissue was deproteinized with sulfuric acid. Paraquat in the supernatant was quantificated directly with the dithionite reagent (step 1) or concentrated by the XAD-2 column chromatographic technique before paraquat determination (step 2). Tissue paraquat levels in the range of 0.01-75 mg/kg could be quantificated by second-derivative or zero-order spectroscopy using 2.5 g of tissues. The sensitivity could be increased tenfold by using 25 g of tissue samples. The coefficients of variation of within-run and day-to-day precisions of spiked paraquat in tissue homogenates were below 5% at concentrations of 10.0, 1.0 and 0.1 mg/kg, respectively. The recoveries of the spiked paraquat in tissues ranging from 0.1-10 mg/kg were 91% by step 1 and 74% by step 2. Using these simple methods, steps 1 and 2, the paraquat concentrations in the psoas muscle, liver, lung and kidneys of a swine dosed with 0.16 g/kg of paraquat were investigated. The results were in close agreement with those of the TCA deproteinization method followed by cation-resin column chromatography. The proposed method offers the advantages of simplicity, rapidity, reasonable sensitivity and a wide range of concentrations.     

生物检材中阿维菌素的HPLC—MS／MS分析

目的建立生物检材包括血、肝组织、胃组织中阿维菌素（Avermectins）的HPLC—MS／MS分析方法。方法采用Oasis HLB固相萃取柱进行提取,以XTerra^TM RP18柱（2．1mm×100mm,3．5μm）色谱柱分离,以甲醇-0．1％冰醋酸水溶液（75：25）为流动相,流速为0．2mL／min。结果线性范围10ng／mL～3μg／mL,最小检出限为0．1ng／mL。结论本方法准确、快速,可用于生物检材血中阿维菌素的定性定量分析,肝及胃组织中阿维菌素的定性分析。     

Simultaneous determination of THC-COOH and THC-COOH-glucuronide in urine samples by LC/MS/MS

A fast method using liquid-liquid extraction and HPLC/tandem-mass spectrometry (LC/MS/MS) was developed for the simultaneous detection of 11-Nor-Delta(9)-tetrahydrocannabinol-9-carboxylic acid beta-glucuronide (THC-COOH-glucuronide) and 11-Nor-Delta(9)-tetrahydrocannabinol-9-carboxylic acid (THC-COOH) in urine samples. This highly specific method, which combines chromatographic separation and MS/MS analysis, can be used for the confirmation of positive immunoassay results even without hydrolysis of the sample or derivatisation of extracts. Liquid-liquid extraction was optimised: with ethylacetate/diethylether (1:1, v/v) THC-COOH-glucuronide and THC-COOH could be extracted in one step. Molecular ions of the glucuronide (MH(+), m/z 521) and THC-COOH (MH(+), m/z 345) were generated using a PE/SCIEX turboionspray source in positive ionisation mode; specific fragmentation was performed in the collision cell of an API 365 triple-quadrupole mass spectrometer and yielded major fragments at m/z 345 (for THC-COOH-glucuronide) and m/z 327 as well as m/z 299 for both cannabinoids. Chromatographic separation was performed using a reversed-phase C8 column and gradient elution with 0.1% formic acid/1 mM ammonium formate and acetonitrile/0.1% formic acid. Retention times were 22.2 min for the glucuronide and 26.8 min for THC-COOH. After enzymatic hydrolysis of urine samples with beta-glucuronidase/arylsulfatase (37 degrees C, 5 h), THC-COOH-glucuronide was no longer detectable by LC/MS/MS in urine samples. However, the THC-COOH concentration was increased. For quantitation of THC-COOH, THC-COOH-D(3) was added to the urine samples as internal standard prior to analysis. From the difference of THC-COOH in the native urine and urine after enzymatic hydrolysis, molar concentration ratios of THC-COOH-glucuronide/THC-COOH in urine samples of cannabis users were determined and found to be between 1.3 and 4.5.     

LC-MS/MS法快速测定全血中25种精神药物的研究

目的建立人全血中25种精神药物快速测定的LC-MS/MS方法,并应用于分析杭州地区药物影响下驾驶(driving under the inference of drugs,DUID)情况。方法以乙腈沉淀蛋白,离心后取上清液,氮气流下吹干,残渣以初始流动相复溶,离心后取上清分析;采用C18色谱柱(50mm×3.0mm,2.6μm)分离,流动相:0.1%甲酸水(A相),乙腈:甲醇=1:1(B相),梯度洗脱;质谱检测,采用串联质谱电喷雾离子源,正电离扫描,多反应监测(MRM)。结果 25种精神药物在0.05~20ng/m L范围内线性良好,R=0.994 4~0.999 6;定量下限为0.05ng/m L;提取回收率为83.0%~99.7%;方法回收率为80.2%~97.4%;日内精密度(RSD)为1.6%~14%;日间精密度(RSD)为3.1%~14%。以该法测定杭州市公安司法鉴定中心留存的全血样品3140例,25种精神药物至少一种的检出率为3.7%。结论本方法灵敏、快捷、准确,适用于全血中25种精神药物快速检测。     

Forensic intoxication with clobazam: HPLC/DAD/MSD analysis

Clobazam (Castillium, Urbanil), a benzodiazepine often used as an anxiolytic and in the treatment of epilepsy, is considered a relatively safe drug. The authors present a fatal case with a 49-year-old female, found dead at home. She had been undergoing psychiatric treatment and was a chronic alcoholic. The autopsy findings were unremarkable, except for multivisceral congestion, steatosis and a small piece of a plastic blister pack in the stomach. Bronchopneumonia, bronchitis and bronchiolitis were also diagnosed. Anhigh-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC)/diode array detector (DAD)/mass spectrometry detection (MSD) with electrospray method was developed in order to detect, confirm and quantify clobazam in the post-mortem samples. In the chromatographic separation, a reversed-phase column C18 (2.1 x 150 mm, 3.5 microm) was used with a mobile phase of methanol and water, at a 0.25 ml/min flow rate. Carbonate buffer (pH 10.5) and 20 microl of prazepam (100 microg/ml) as internal standard were added to the samples. A simple and reliable liquid-liquid extraction method for the determination of clobazam in post-mortem samples was described. Calibration curves for clobazam were performed in blood, achieving linearity between 0.01 and 10 microg/ml and a detection limit of 1.0 ng/ml. The clobazam concentration found in post-mortem blood was 3.9 microg/ml, higher than the reported therapeutic concentration (0.1-0.4 microg/ml). The simultaneous acquisition by photodiode array detection and mass spectrometry detection results allowed benzodiazepines to be identified with sufficient certainty. An examination of all the available information suggested that death resulted from respiratory depression due to clobazam toxicity.     

乌头碱在家兔体内的代谢动力学初步研究

本文应用甲醇-0.05mol/L碳酸铵水溶液-二氯甲烷(90:10:2)作流动相,在YWGC_(18)H_(37)反相键合相色谱柱上分离乌头碱和内标,用紫外分光检测器在235nm外定量,改进了动物组织内痕量乌头碱的HPLC检测法。运用该法检测家兔静脉注射乌头碱后的血毒物浓度,初步研究了乌头碱在家兔体内的代谢动力学过程,表明其体内过程符合开放二室模型,T_(1/2α)=1.4682min,T_(1/2β)=34.1379min。体内乌头碱可以原形由尿和胆汁中排出,但以前6h尿排泄为主。     

LC/MS分析血浆中丁丙诺啡

目的建立血浆中丁丙诺啡液相色谱/质谱（LC/MS）分析方法。方法在含有丁丙诺啡的血浆中,加入内标奋乃静,加pH10.8缓冲溶液,用401有机担体作吸附剂、三氯甲烷作洗脱剂固相萃取,N2挥干,用50μL流动相定容后进行LC/MS分析。色谱条件：Thermo Hypersil-HyPURITY C18（150×2.1mm,5μm）,柱温：40℃,流动相：10mmol/LNH4AC（pH3.4）∶甲醇∶乙腈=36∶52∶12,流速：0.22mL/min。结果方法的线性范围为0.05～5.0μg/L（r=0.9998）,定量限0.05μg/L,检出限0.01μg/L（S/N=3）;3个浓度的质量控制样品（0.1μg/L,0.5μg/L,2.0μg/L）平均回收率分别为86.40%,92.72%,92.57%,RSD分别为4.51%,3.34%,2.09%。结论该方法操作简便、灵敏度高,可用于涉毒案件血浆中丁丙诺啡的分析。     

Peculiarities of detection and evaluation of the persistence of tetraethyltiuram disulfide in the biological material

Optimal conditions for the identification and quantitative determination of tetraethyltiuram disulfide in "fresh" and putrefactive tissues of cadaverous liver are described for the purpose of TLC, HPLC, and IK-spectrophotometry following extraction of the compound of interest with ethyl acetate and its purification on a silicagel L column, 40/100 mcm. The persistence of tetraethyltiuram disulfide in the cadaverous tissues was evaluated. It was shown that the period during which tetraethyltiuram disulfide can be detected in the autopsied tissues decreases from 203 to 28 days with a rise in temperature from -15 degrees C to +36 degrees C.     

HPLC-DAD determination of opioids, cocaine and their metabolites in plasma

High performance liquid chromatography with diode array detection (HPLC-DAD) was used to develop a method for the simultaneous determination of morphine, codeine, 6-acetylmorphine (6AM), cocaine, benzoylecgonine (BEG), cocaethylene, methadone and its metabolite, 2-ethylidene-1,5-dimethyldiphenylpyrrolidine (EDDP), in plasma. Following solid-phase extraction with Bond Elut Certify cartridges, chromatography was performed on an X-Terra RP8 column (250 mm x 4.6 mm i.d., 5 microm particle size), using acetonitrile-phosphate buffer pH 6.53 as mobile phase and elution in the gradient mode. The detector response was linear at concentrations over the range 0.1-10 microg/mL in plasma, and the correlation coefficients for the eight drugs studied were all higher than 0.99. The average extraction recoveries from plasma ranged from 60% for BEG to 95% for methadone. The precision was acceptable, with coefficients of variation oscillating between 2.55% and 6.45%. The accuracy was found to be within satisfactory limits (+/- 8.1%). Finally, the method was applied to 21 plasma samples from fatal overdoses, obtaining positive results for two or more drugs.     

A new marker for estimation of bloodstain age by high performance liquid chromatography.

The applicability of a new marker for estimation of bloodstain age by reverse-phase high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) is described. Using a microBondasphere C18 column with a two step linear gradient of 10.5-46.25% acetonitrile in 0.1% trifluoroacetic acid, an intriguing peak (unidentified) at a retention time of about 5 min was observed on chromatograms from human adult bloodstains and designated as 'X'. The area of this peak, which could be detected in extracts of bloodstains, but not in their fresh whole blood, increased with time. The ratios of the X area to heme area in bloodstains stored at room temperature and 4 degrees C for up to 52 weeks old linearly correlated with stain age by plotting on a double logarithmic scale. In bloodstains exposed to fluorescent light at room temperature, the regression equation calculated from the ratios (Rx) and the ages of stains in weeks (W) is ln(1000.Rx) = 1.1084 + 0.3937.ln(7.W), and the coefficient of correlation (r) is 0.9776 (n = 144, P < 0.001). When stains were stored at 37 degrees C, the ratio transformed into logarithms correlated linearly with stain age. The regression equation describing the relationship in bloodstains exposed to fluorescent light at 37 degrees C is ln(1000.Rx) = 2.4477 + 0.0866.W (r = 0.9826, n = 144, P < 0.001). The results of the present study suggest that the HPLC method may be applicable to the estimation of bloodstain age.     

生物检材中乌头碱的LC-MS/MS快速分析

目的应用高效液相色谱-质谱法对生物检材中乌头生物碱等有毒成分进行快速分析。方法取全血样品经乙腈-甲醇(5:1 v/v)提取,使用Agilent Zorbax SB C18(2.1 mm×50 mm,1.8μm)色谱柱,以0.1%甲酸溶液-乙腈(60:40 v/v)为流动相等度洗脱。在多反应监测模式下测定全血样品中乌头生物碱等有毒成分。结果乌头碱、次乌头碱和中乌头碱的保留时间为0.73 min、0.77 min和0.63 min;用于定量分析的离子对分别为m/z 646.4→586.4(乌头碱)、616.1→556.5(次乌头碱)和632.4→572.1(中乌头碱)。乌头碱在0.1~250 ng/m L内线性关系良好,相关系数(r)≥0.9987,最低检出限0.1ng/m L,精密度考查其变异系数(CV)5.42%(n=6),血液中乌头碱提取回收率不小于90%。结论本文建立的高效液相色谱-质谱法快速、简便、灵敏,适用于天然药毒物检验。     

人毛发中36种芬太尼类物质的HPLC-MS/MS检测方法

建立了同时对人毛发中36种芬太尼类物质快速定性定量检测方法,并成功应用于实际案件的检测。利用高效液相色谱-串联质谱(HPLC-MS/MS)技术,采用MRM(多反应监测)模式,用Waters ACQUITY BEH C18(100 mm×2.1 mm,1.7μm)色谱柱,柱温50℃,流动相为甲醇-0.1%甲酸的水溶液(V/V),梯度洗脱。毛发样品采用0.1%SDS、水、丙酮依次清洗后,研磨成粉末,称取约20 mg,加1 mL甲醇浸泡18 h,后再加入1 mL去离子水,混匀后过滤膜,用液相色谱-串联质谱进行检测。36种芬太尼类物质的检出限均为0.01 ng·mg^-1,保留时间RSD均小于0.33%。对芬太尼和阿芬太尼进行了定量分析,在0.01~2 ng·mg^-1范围内均具有良好的线性关系,判定系数R2分别为0.997和1,在0.05、0.2和1 ng·mg^-1的添加水平的回收率为89.34%~104.80%,基质效应为96.95%~112.59%,准确度范围为91.92%~102.34%,日内精密度范围为0.49%~6.84%,日间精密度范围为1.21%~7.00%。该方法简单、高效、准确、灵敏,可作为芬太尼类物质滥用情况的监测方法。     

Tissue distribution of nitrazepam and 7-aminonitrazepam in a case of nitrazepam intoxication

We report a case of nitrazepam poisoning in which the distribution of nitrazepam and 7-aminonitrazepam was determined in body fluids and tissues. A 52-year-old woman was found dead in a shallow ditch (approximately 5 cm in depth), in the winter. Ambient temperature was 2-8 degrees C. The postmortem interval was estimated to be approximately 1 day and no putrefaction was observed. The cause of death was thought to be drowning due to nitrazepam overdose and cold exposure. Blood concentrations of nitrazepam and 7-aminonitrazepam were very site dependent (0.400-0.973 microg/ml and 0.418-1.82 microg/ml). In addition, the concentration of the same analytes in the bile were 4.08 and 1.67 microg/ml, respectively, and in the urine: 0.580 and 1.09 microg/ml, respectively. A high accumulation of both substances was observed in various types of brain tissue (2.17-6.22 microg/g and 2.49-5.11 microg/g). Only small amounts of nitrazepam and 7-aminonitrazepam were detected in the liver (0.059 and 0.113 microg/g, respectively). Large differences in the observed concentrations of nitrazepam and 7-aminonitrazepam among arterial and venous blood samples were thought to be mainly due to dilution of arterial blood by water entering the circulation through lungs at the time of death. Bacterial metabolism of nitrazepam may also have contributed to the observed differences.