title: Gas chromatographic determination of fentanyl and its analogues in human plasma.
abstract: There is currently no published chromatographic assay for the fentanyl family of analgesics. This study reports the development of a sensitive, precise, and accurate gas chromatographic method for the determination of fentanyl and its analogues in human plasma. Sensitivity attained for fentanyl and sufentanil was 0.1 ng/mL plasma with an average coefficient of variation of 4.5%. Calibration curve correlation coefficients of 0.99% or greater were consistently obtained. Average recovery of drug into the final extract exceeded 80% and was independent of fentanyl concentration. The required degree of specificity was obtained by selective extraction, use of the nitrogen/phosphorous detector, and chromatographic resolution. This method appears suitable for clinical studies of fentanyl and its derivatives in man.
mesh_terms: D015760:Alfentanil; D000701:Analgesics, Opioid / Q000097:blood*; D002849:Chromatography, Gas; D005283:Fentanyl / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000097:blood* / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D017409:Sufentanil
chemical_list: D000701:Analgesics, Opioid; D015760:Alfentanil; D017409:Sufentanil; D005283:Fentanyl