Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis, Indianapolis, Indiana 46202, United States.
J Am Soc Mass Spectrom. 2020 Mar 4;31(3):675-684. doi: 10.1021/jasms.9b00113. Epub 2020 Jan 27.
Cannabinoids present a unique set of analytical challenges. An increasing number of states have voted to decriminalize recreational marijuana use, creating a need for new kinds of rapid testing. At the same time, synthetic compounds with activity similar to THC, termed synthetic cannabinoids, have become more prevalent and pose significant health risks. A rapid method capable of detecting both natural and synthetic cannabinoids would be useful in cases of driving under the influence of drugs, where it might not be obvious whether the suspect consumed marijuana, a synthetic cannabinoid, or both. Paper spray mass spectrometry is an ambient ionization technique which allows for the direct ionization of analyte from a biofluid spot on a piece of paper. Natural cannabinoids like THC, however, are labile and rapidly disappear from dried sample spots, making it difficult to detect them at clinically relevant levels. Presented here is a method to concentrate and preserve THC and synthetic cannabinoids in urine and oral fluid on paper for analysis by paper spray mass spectrometry. Sesame seed oil was investigated both as a means of preserving THC and as part of a technique, termed paper strip extraction, wherein urine or oral fluid is flowed through an oil spot on a strip of paper to preconcentrate cannabinoids. This technique preserved THC in dried biofluid samples for at least 27 days at room temperature; paper spray MS/MS analysis of these preserved dried spots was capable of detecting THC and synthetic cannabinoids at low ng/mL concentrations, making it suitable as a rapid screening technique. The technique was adapted to be used with a commercially available autosampler.
大麻素带来了一系列独特的分析挑战。越来越多的州投票将娱乐用大麻合法化，这就需要新的快速检测方法。与此同时，具有与 THC 相似活性的合成化合物，被称为合成大麻素，变得更加普遍，带来了重大的健康风险。一种能够同时检测天然和合成大麻素的快速方法，将有助于在吸毒驾驶等情况下发挥作用，因为在这种情况下，可能不清楚嫌疑人是吸食了大麻、合成大麻素还是两者都有。纸喷雾质谱法是一种环境离子化技术，可使分析物直接从纸上的生物流体斑点中进行离子化。然而，像 THC 这样的天然大麻素不稳定，会从干燥的样品点迅速消失，因此很难在临床相关水平检测到它们。本文介绍了一种在尿液和唾液纸上浓缩和保存 THC 和合成大麻素的方法，以便通过纸喷雾质谱法进行分析。芝麻油既被用作保存 THC 的手段，也被用作一种技术的一部分，该技术称为纸条萃取，其中尿液或唾液通过纸条上的油点流动，以预先浓缩大麻素。该技术可将 THC 保存在干燥的生物流体样本中至少 27 天，室温下；通过这些保存的干燥斑点的纸喷雾 MS/MS 分析能够检测到低 ng/mL 浓度的 THC 和合成大麻素，使其成为一种适合快速筛选的技术。该技术已被改编为可与市售自动进样器一起使用。
