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A fast method for screening and/or quantitation of tetrahydrocannabinol and metabolites in urine by automated SPE/LC/MS/MS

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Abstract

Marijuana is one of the most commonly used illicit substances. The high usage of this substance results in it being commonly encountered in clinical samples throughout the USA and Europe. Due to its wide availability and use, marijuana is also commonly encountered in forensic toxicology laboratories. The proposed method utilized an automated solid phase extraction (SPE) coupled to liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry (LC/MS). The automated SPE procedure was developed using Hysphere C8-EC sorbent, and the high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) separation was performed using an Xterra MS C18 column with a total runtime of 10 min. The standard curves linearity generally fell between 6 and 500 ng/mL. The limits of detection ranged from 2 to 4 ng/mL, and the limits of quantitation ranged from 8 to 12 ng/mL. The bias and imprecision were determined using a simple analysis of variance (single factor). The results demonstrate bias as <11% and percent imprecision as <12% for all components at four quality control levels. This method has been in use for over 2 years and has been applied to numerous forensic samples. When compared to other published methods, it exceeds others in its simplicity and speed of analysis. This method takes advantage of robotics and automation for a total analysis time of 10 min, including sample preparation, separation, and detection.

Automated solid phase extraction unit coupled to a triple quadrupole mass spectrometer

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Federal Bureau of Investigation Laboratory, 2501 Investigation Parkway, Quantico, VA, 22135, USA

    Eshwar Jagerdeo, Madeline A. Montgomery & Roman P. Karas

  2. Spark Holland Inc., 7800 AJ, Emmen, The Netherlands

    Martin Sibum

Authors
  1. Eshwar Jagerdeo
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  2. Madeline A. Montgomery
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  3. Roman P. Karas
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  4. Martin Sibum
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Correspondence to Eshwar Jagerdeo.

Additional information

This is publication 10-10 of the Laboratory Division of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). Names of commercial manufacturers are provided for identification purposes only, and inclusion does not imply endorsement by the FBI. The views expressed in this article are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the FBI or the US Government. This work was prepared as part of their official duties. Title 17 U.S.C. 105 provides that “Copyright protection under this title is not available for any work of the United States Government.” Title 17 U.S.C. 101 defines a US Government work as a work prepared by an employee of the US Government as part of that person's official duties.

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Jagerdeo, E., Montgomery, M.A., Karas, R.P. et al. A fast method for screening and/or quantitation of tetrahydrocannabinol and metabolites in urine by automated SPE/LC/MS/MS. Anal Bioanal Chem 398, 329–338 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00216-010-3918-y

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00216-010-3918-y

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