[Pre-print] Paper spray mass spectrometry for the direct, semi-quantitative measurement of fentanyl and norfentanyl in complex matrices
Date
2018Author
Vandergrift, Gregory W.
Hessels, Arden J.
Palaty, Jan
Krogh, Erik T.
Gill, Chris G.
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Background: Fentanyl is a potent, synthetic opioid at the centre of an
international health crisis that has seen thousands of fatal overdoses. Most
analytical methods focus on the detection of fentanyl in blood and/or urine (i.e.,
post-drug use). Harm reduction (including pre-screening before drug use) may be
an effective strategy against fentanyl overdoses.
Method: Paper spray-mass spectrometry (PS-MS) is an inexpensive, direct
sampling strategy where a small volume of sample (<10 μL) is spotted onto a
piece of paper that is then wetted and connected to high voltage. Ions are
emitted from the paper and enter a mass spectrometer for sensitive and selective
semi-quantitation using labeled internal standards.
Results: We present the use of PS-MS for the direct measurement of fentanyl
and norfentanyl using a custom PS interface, demonstrating that paper tip
position and quality can significantly affect quantitative results. Furthermore, we
observe comparable calibrations for fentanyl and norfentanyl (0.5 to 600 ng/mL)
across a variety of complex matrices (methanol, diluted urine, analgesic slurry).
Detection limits for fentanyl are as low as 0.049 ng/mL (0.4 pg total material) in
methanol, and 0.66 ng/mL (5.3 pg total material) spiked in an analgesic slurry
(illicit substance simulation). PS-MS was compared with liquid chromatography-MS for the analyses of real urine samples, with satisfactory results.
Conclusion: PS-MS shows potential as a sensitive and selective direct
measurement strategy for use in fentanyl harm reduction strategies, and may
also be used for pre-screening in advance of or in combination with more
conventional (i.e., chromatographic) analyses.
Description
Pre-printIdentifier (Other)
DOI: 10.1016/j.clinbiochem.2018.02.005DOI: 10.25316/IR-439