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Bioanalytical procedures for determination of drugs of abuse in oral fluid

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Abstract

Recent advances in analytical techniques have enabled the detection of drugs and drug metabolites in oral fluid specimens. Although GC–MS is still commonly used in practice, many laboratories have developed and successfully validated methods for LC–MS(–MS) that can detect a large number of compounds in the limited sample volume available. In addition, several enzyme immunoassays have been commercialized for the detection of drugs of abuse in oral fluid samples, enabling the fast screening and selection of presumably positive samples. A number of concerns are discussed, such as the variability in the volume of sample collected and its implications in terms of quantitative measurements, and the drug recoveries of the many different specimen collection systems on the market. Additional considerations that also receive attention are the importance of providing complete validation data with respect to analyte stability, matrix effect, and the choice of collection method.

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Abbreviations

6-AM:

6-Acetylmorphine

AGP:

α1-Acid glycoprotein

AEME:

anhydroecgonine methyl ester

APCI:

atmospheric pressure chemical ionization

BDB:

3,4-(Methylenedioxyphenyl)-2-butanamine

BE:

benzoylecgonine

BSTFA:

N,O-Bis(trimethylsilyl)-trifluoroacetamide

DMSO:

dimethyl sulfoxide

DUID:

driving under the influence of drugs

ECCI:

electron capture chemical ionization

ECD:

electron capture detection

EDDP:

2-Ethylidene-1,5-dimethyl-3,3-diphenylpyrrolidine

EEE:

ecgonine ethyl ester

EI:

electron impact

EIA:

enzyme immunoassay

EME:

ecgonine methyl ester

ESI:

electrospray ionization

FA:

formic acid

GC-MS:

gas chromatography–mass spectrometry

GC-GC-MS:

two-dimensional gas chromatography–mass spectrometry

GC-MS-MS:

gas chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry

HFBA:

heptafluorobutyric acid anhydride

HFIP:

1,1,1,3,3,3-Hexafluoro-2-propanol

HMA:

3-Hydroxy-4-methoxyamphetamine

HMMA:

4-Hydroxy-3-methoxymethamphetamine

HPLC:

high-pressure liquid chromatography

LC-MS:

liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry

LC-MS-MS:

liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry

LLE:

liquid–liquid extraction

LOD:

limit of detection

LOQ:

limit of quantification

LSD:

lysergic acid diethylamide

MBDB:

N-Methyl-1-(3,4-methylenedioxyphenyl)-2-butanamine

MBTFA:

N-Methyl-bis(trifluoramide)

MDA:

3,4-Methylenedioxyamphetamine

MDEA:

3,4-Methylenedioxyethylamphetamine

MDMA:

3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine

MSTFA:

N-Methyl-N-trimethylsilyl-trifluoroacetamide

MTBSTFA:

N-Methyl-N-tert-butyldimethylsilyl-trifluoroacetamide

NCI:

negative chemical ionization

NPD:

nitrogen–phosphorus detection

PCI:

positive chemical ionization

PFPA:

pentafluoropropionic anhydride

PFBPI:

N-Pentafluorobenzoyl-S-(−)-prolyl-1-imidazolide

QTOF:

quadrupole-time-of-flight

ROC:

receiver operating curves

SPE:

solid-phase extraction

SPME:

solid-phase microextraction

TBAH:

Tetrabutyl-ammonium hydroxide

TBDMCS:

tert-Butyldimethylchlorosilane

TFAA:

trifluoroacetic anhydride

THC:

delta9-tetrahydrocannabinol

THC-COOH:

11-Nor-delta9-tetrahydrocannabinol-9-carboxylic acid

TMAH:

tetrabutylammonium hydroxide

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratory of Toxicology, National Institute of Criminalistics and Criminology (N.I.C.C.), Federal Public Service Justice, Vilvoordsesteenweg 100, 1120, Brussels, Belgium

    Nele Samyn, Marleen Laloup & Gert De Boeck

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  1. Nele Samyn
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  2. Marleen Laloup
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  3. Gert De Boeck
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Correspondence to Nele Samyn.

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Samyn, N., Laloup, M. & De Boeck, G. Bioanalytical procedures for determination of drugs of abuse in oral fluid. Anal Bioanal Chem 388, 1437–1453 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00216-007-1245-8

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