title: Application of EMIT d.a.u. for the semiquantitative screening of methamphetamine incorporated in hair.
abstract: By the use of an enzyme multiplied immunoassay technique (EMIT), a convenient and fairly sensitive semiquantitative screening method was established for methamphetamine (MA) incorporated in hair. MA in a 10-mg portion of hair was extracted into 5M HCl/methanol (1:20, v/v), and the extract reconstituted in 100 microL water was assayed with double-concentrated EMIT d.a.u. Amphetamine Class assay reagents. The optimal cutoff concentration of MA in hair was found by receiver operating characteristic analysis to be 1.0 ng/mg, and the detection limit was calculated to be 0.5 ng/mg. The semiquantitative screening was possible over the concentration range from 1.0 to 200 ng/mg, and the results are in good agreement with those by gas chromatographic-mass spectrometric (GC-MS) determination. Although all positive results must be confirmed by either GC-MS or a specific alternative methodology, this method not only provided reliable screening suitable for drug enforcement purposes, but it also allowed sectional profile analysis of MA in hair while requiring only a 10-mg hair specimen.
authors.affiliation: Forensic Science Laboratory, Osaka Prefectural Police Headquarters, Japan. CZD13116@nifty.ne.jp
authors.forename: Akihiro
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Miki
authors.forename: Munehiro
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Katagi
authors.forename: Hitoshi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Tsuchihashi
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D006197:Hair / Q000737:chemistry; D006213:Hallucinogens / Q000032:analysis*; D006801:Humans; D007124:Immunoenzyme Techniques / Q000379:methods*; D008297:Male; D008694:Methamphetamine / Q000032:analysis*; D008875:Middle Aged; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D013048:Specimen Handling; D015813:Substance Abuse Detection
chemical_list: D006213:Hallucinogens; D008694:Methamphetamine