Development and validation of a fast ionic liquid-based dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction procedure combined with LC-MS/MS analysis for the quantification of benzodiazepines and benzodiazepine-like hypnotics in whole blood.

To date, thorough clean-up of complex biological samples remains an essential part of the analytical process. The solid phase extraction (SPE) technique is the well-known standard, however, its main weaknesses are the labor-intensive and time-consuming protocols. In this respect, dispersive liquid-liquid microextractions (DLLME) seem to offer less complex and more efficient extraction procedures. Furthermore, ionic liquids (ILs) - liquid salts - are emerging as new promising extraction solvents, thanks to their non-flammable nature, negligible vapor pressure and easily adaptable physiochemical properties. In this study, we investigated whether ILs can be used as an extraction solvent in a DLLME procedure for the extraction of a broad range of benzodiazepines and benzodiazepine-like hypnotics in whole blood samples. 1.0mL whole blood was extracted using an optimized 30-min IL-based DLLME procedure, followed by LC-ESI(+)-MS/MS analysis in scheduled MRM scan mode. The optimized analytical method was successfully validated for 7-aminoflunitrazepam, alprazolam, bromazepam, clobazam, clonazepam, clotiazepam, diazepam, estazolam, ethyl loflazepate, etizolam, flurazepam, lormetazepam, midazolam, oxazepam, prazepam, temazepam, triazolam, zolpidem and zopiclone. The method showed good selectivity for endogenous interferences based on 12 sources of blank whole blood. No benzodiazepine interferences were observed, except for clorazepate and nordiazepam, which were excluded from the quantitative method. Matrix-matched calibration curves were constructed covering the whole therapeutic range, including low toxic plasma concentrations. Accuracy and precision results met the proposed acceptance criteria for the vast majority of compounds, except for brotizolam, chlordiazepoxide, cloxazolam, flunitrazepam, loprazolam, lorazepam and nitrazepam, which can only be determined in a semi-quantitative way. Recoveries were within the range of 24.7%-127.2% and matrix effects were within 20.0%-92.6%. Both parameters were tested using 5 sources of whole blood and coefficients of variance were below 20%. Overall, the applicability of ILs as promising solvents for the extraction of benzodiazepines in whole blood samples has been proven. Moreover, a fast and easy IL-based DLLME procedure was developed for the quantification of 19 benzodiazepines and benzodiazepine-like hypnotics.