Abstract
A gas chromatography-mass spectrometric (GC-MS) method was developed and validated for the simultaneous detection and quantification of four amphetamine-type stimulants (amphetamine (AP), methamphetamine (MA), 3,4-methylenedioxyamphetamine (MDA) and 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA)) and two cannabinoids (Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (Δ9-THC) and 11-nor-Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol-9-carboxylic acid (THCCOOH)) in fingernails. Fingernail clippings (30 mg) were washed with distilled water and methanol, and then incubated in 1.0 M sodium hydroxide at 95°C for 30 min. The compounds of interest were isolated by liquid-liquid extraction followed by derivatization with N-methyl-N-trimethylsilyltrifluoroacetamide (MSTFA) at 70°C for 15 min. The derivatized compounds were analyzed by GC-MS in the selective ion monitoring (SIM) mode. The linear ranges were 0.1–15.0 ng/mg for AP, 0.2–15.0 ng/mg for MDA, Δ9-THC and THCCOOH, and 0.2–30.0 ng/mg for MA and MDMA, with good correlation coefficients (r2 > 0.9991). The intra-day, inter-day, and inter-person precisions were within 10.6%, 6.3%, and 5.3%, respectively. The intra-day, inter-day and inter-person accuracies were between −6.1 and 5.0%, −6.2 and 5.7%, and −6.4 and 5.6%, respectively. The limits of detection (LODs) and quantification (LOQs) for each compound were lower than 0.056 and 0.2 ng/mg, respectively. The recoveries were in the range of 74.0–94.8%. Positive GC-MS results were obtained from specimens of nine suspected MA or cannabis abusers. The concentration ranges of MA, AP, and THCCOOH were 0.10–1.41, 0.12–2.64, and 0.20 ng/mg, respectively. Based on these results, the method proved to be effective for the simultaneous qualification and quantification of amphetamine-type stimulants and cannabinoids in fingernails.
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Kim, J.Y., Cheong, J.C., Kim, M.K. et al. Simultaneous determination of amphetamine-type stimulants and cannabinoids in fingernails by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Arch. Pharm. Res. 31, 805–813 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12272-001-1230-5
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12272-001-1230-5