Fast Discrimination of Marijuana using Automated High-throughput Cannabis Sample Preparation and Analysis by Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry.

In the United States, federal law and many state laws differentiate between marijuana and industrial hemp through delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) levels, whereby the latter is defined as ≤0.3 percent THC on a dry weight basis. Many traditional cannabis identification methods employed by crime laboratories cannot accurately determine total THC quantities in accordance with federal and state regulations, or do so with increased time, labor, and risks of instrument damage. In order to quickly distinguish positive marijuana samples, a method was developed to identify plant material with a total THC level >1%. This novel, automated dispersive pipette extraction (DPX) method uses tip-based technology and an automated liquid handler to enable fast, hands-free selective isolation of THC and its precursors for downstream gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) analysis. The workflow proceeds with no repetitive manual effort and reduced need for instrument maintenance while enabling crime labs to legally identify marijuana through the detection of total THC above 1%. Recovery of THC using the DPX extraction method was 93% at 30 µg/mL and 78% at 500 µg/mL. Similarly, THCA-A recovery was 100% at 30 µg/mL and 74% at 500 µg/mL. Samples evaluated in a blind study (proficiency, hemp, and nonprobative case samples) were all accurately identified as greater than or less than 1% THC, with samples containing <1% THC being identified as "cannabis" and subjected to more discriminative analysis as needed.

A Novel, Automated Dispersive Pipette Extraction Technology Greatly Simplifies Catecholamine Sample Preparation for Downstream LC-MS/MS Analysis.

Catecholamines are integral neurotransmitters in the central and peripheral nervous system. Clinically, catecholamine levels are determined to help diagnose disease and measure corresponding therapeutic effectiveness. However, manual extraction of catecholamines and their metabolites may be labor-intensive and user-variable and require a variety of peripheral laboratory devices, especially at low sample concentrations. Here, we propose a novel solid-phase extraction (SPE) method using patented dispersive pipette extraction (DPX) tip technology. The tips are readily integrated into an automated workflow to extract these compounds from urine, which increases analytical throughput while removing human variability and error. Diphenylboronic acid (DPBA) forms a stable, negatively charged complex with catecholamines in the samples, and when aspirated into the DPX tip, the complexed analytes are retained on a styrene divinyl benzene sorbent. Wash buffers remove interfering compounds, after which the complex is eluted from the tip using an acidic aqueous solution and subsequently measured via liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). The automated DPX method for catecholamine sample preparation from urine has excellent linearity over more than three orders of magnitude with concentrations ranging from 0.5 to 1000 ng/mL, with replicate analyses resulting in coefficients of variation of less than 8%. This high-throughput workflow is appropriate for use in regulated laboratories.

Analysis of 10 ß-agonists in pork meat using automated dispersive pipette extraction and LC-MS/MS.

An analytical procedure for the analysis of 10 ß-adrenergic agonists (cimaterol, terbutaline, salbutamol, isoxsuprine, ractopamine, cimbuterol, clenbuterol, brombuterol, mabuterol and mapenterol) in pork meat was developed and validated using LC-MS/MS. An automated dispersive pipette extraction (DPX) was employed on a Hamilton Microlab® NIMBUS96® platform to extract the analytes of interest prior to LC-MS/MS analysis. The extraction time was <20 min with a total LC-MS/MS run time of 9.6 min. The method was fully validated in accordance with the international guidelines (European Commission Decision 2002/657/EC and National Standards of People's Republic of China, GB/T 22286-2008) for limit of detection, limit of quantitation, carryover, extraction efficiency, matrix effects, linearity, and within and between-run precision. The proposed method can be successfully used in the routine determination of 10 ß-adrenergic agonists in pork and as a potential solution for compliance monitoring in regulatory laboratories.

Degradation of Opioids and Opiates During Acid Hydrolysis Leads to Reduced Recovery Compared to Enzymatic Hydrolysis.

Drug monitoring laboratories utilize a hydrolysis process to liberate the opiates from their glucuronide conjugates to facilitate their detection by tandem mass spectrometry (MS). Both acid and enzyme hydrolysis have been reported as viable methods, with the former as a more effective process for recovering codeine-6-glucuronide and morphine-6-glucuronide. Here, we report concerns with acid-catalyzed hydrolysis of opioids, including a significant loss of analytes and conversions of oxycodone to oxymorphone, hydrocodone to hydromorphone and codeine to morphine. The acid-catalyzed reaction was monitored in neat water and patient urine samples by liquid chromatography-time-of-flight and tandem MS. These side reactions with acid hydrolysis may limit accurate quantitation due to loss of analytes, possibly lead to false positives, and poorly correlate with pharmacogenetic profiles, as cytochrome P450 enzyme (CYP2D6) is often involved with oxycodone to oxymorphone, hydrocodone to hydromorphone and codeine to morphine conversions. Enzymatic hydrolysis process using the purified, genetically engineered ß-glucuronidase (IMCSzyme®) addresses many of these concerns and demonstrates accurate quantitation and high recoveries for oxycodone, hydrocodone, oxymorphone and hydromorphone.

Variations in enzymatic hydrolysis efficiencies for amitriptyline and cyclobenzaprine in urine.

A collaborative study was conducted to investigate discrepancies in recoveries of two commonly prescribed compounds, amitriptyline and cyclobenzaprine, in patient urine samples when hydrolyzed with different enzymes from different sources. A 2- to 10-fold increase in analyte recoveries was seen for patient samples hydrolyzed using a recombinant ß-glucuronidase (IMCSzyme™) over samples hydrolyzed with ß-glucuronidase from Haliotis rufescens We report outcomes from four commercially available ß-glucuronidase enzymes (IMCSzyme™, Patella vulgata, Helix pomatia and H. rufescens) on patient samples that tested positive for amitriptyline and cyclobenzaprine. Our results confirm reduced hydrolysis of glucuronides by ß-glucuronidases isolated from mollusks, but near complete conversion when using the recombinant enzyme. Our premise is that systematic differences in hydrolysis efficiencies due to varying substrate affinity among enzyme subtypes potentially impacts accuracy and reliability of measurements.