Centro de Investigação em Ciências da Saúde, Universidade da Beira Interior (CICS-UBI), Av. Infante D. Henrique, 6201-556 Covilhã, Portugal.
Laboratório de Fármaco-Toxicologia, Ubimedical, Universidade da Beira Interior, Estrada Municipal 506, 6200-284 Covilhã, Portugal.
Molecules. 2022 Jan 19;27(3):641. doi: 10.3390/molecules27030641.
Drug abuse still represents a global problem, and it is associated with an increased risk of diseases, injuries, and deaths. Cocaine (COC) and opiates are the most abused drugs and account for a significant number of fatalities. Therefore, it is important to develop methods capable of effectively identifying and quantifying these substances. The present study aims to evaluate the long-term stability of COC, ecgonine methylester (EME), benzoylecgonine (BEG), cocaethylene (COET), norcocaine (NCOC), morphine (MOR), codeine (COD) and 6-monoacetylmorphine (6-MAM) in oral fluid samples. The analytes of interest were isolated from the matrix (50 µL) using the dried saliva spots (DSS) sampling approach and were subsequently analyzed by gas chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry (GC-MS/MS). The parameters that could influence the stability of the target compounds were studied, and these were storage temperature, light, use of preservatives (and respective concentrations), and time. The effects of each parameter were evaluated using the design of experiments (DOE) approach. The stability of the target analytes was improved when the DSS were stored at room temperature, in the presence of light and using 1% sodium fluoride. The best conditions were then adopted for the DSS storage and long-term stability was assessed. COD was only stable for 1 day, EME was stable for 3 days, COC, COET, NCOC and 6-MAM were stable for 7 days, MOR for 14 days and BEG remained stable throughout the study (136 days). This is the first study that evaluates the stability of these compounds in oral fluid samples after application in DSS cards, and optimizes the conditions in order to improve their stability.
药物滥用仍然是一个全球性问题，它与疾病、伤害和死亡风险的增加有关。可卡因 (COC) 和阿片类药物是最常被滥用的药物，占大量死亡人数。因此，开发能够有效识别和定量这些物质的方法非常重要。本研究旨在评估 COC、ecgonine methylester (EME)、benzoylecgonine (BEG)、cocaethylene (COET)、norcocaine (NCOC)、morphine (MOR)、codeine (COD) 和 6-monoacetylmorphine (6-MAM) 在唾液样本中的长期稳定性。感兴趣的分析物通过干燥唾液斑 (DSS) 取样方法从基质 (50µL) 中分离出来，然后通过气相色谱-串联质谱 (GC-MS/MS) 进行分析。研究了可能影响目标化合物稳定性的参数，包括储存温度、光照、防腐剂的使用（及其各自的浓度）和时间。使用实验设计 (DOE) 方法评估了每个参数的影响。当 DSS 在室温下储存、有光照和使用 1%氟化钠时，目标分析物的稳定性得到改善。然后采用最佳条件进行 DSS 储存，并评估长期稳定性。COD 仅稳定 1 天，EME 稳定 3 天，COC、COET、NCOC 和 6-MAM 稳定 7 天，MOR 稳定 14 天，BEG 在整个研究期间保持稳定（136 天）。这是第一项评估这些化合物在 DSS 卡应用后在唾液样本中稳定性的研究，并优化了条件以提高其稳定性。
