Plant Extract and Herbal Products as Potential Source of Sorbent for Analytical Purpose: An Experimental Study of Morphine and Codeine Determination Using HPLC and LC-MSMS.

Solid-phase microextraction (SPME) is an analytical method for microextraction of analytes, in which the analytes bind to the sorbent on the surface of the SPME fiber. Many types of chemical agents are used as sorbent; however, many of these sorbents cause secondary contamination or are not cost-effective. Here, aqueous extract of Ferula gummosa was evaluated as potential source of sorbent for simultaneous microextraction of morphine and codeine. For this purpose, multiwalled carbon nanotubes were carboxylated with H2SO4/HNO3 (3:1) and then functionalized with aqueous extract of F. gummosa. Functionalization was confirmed by Fourier transform infrared and Raman spectroscopy measurements as well as scanning electron microscopy analysis. Porous polypropylene hollow fibers were filled with the functionalized carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and used for analyte extraction in urine sample at 40°C and pH 6 for 2 min. Reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC) and liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) analysis showed that the fiber could preconcentrate 1 ng/mL of morphine and 0.75 ng/mL codeine in urine sample and was successfully used for 30 times with no significant loss in the extraction efficiency. Limit of detection (LOD) and limit of quantification (LOQ) for morphine were 1 and 3.3 ng/mL, respectively. LOD and LOQ for codeine were determined 0.75 and 2.47 ng/mL, respectively. Recovery of the fiber was 80% and 93% for morphine and codeine, respectively. SPME fiber using extract of F. gummosa plant was used for the detection of a small amount of morphine in urine sample. Therefore, plants can be considered as abundant and cheap sources of sorbent for various analytical purposes.