title: Liquid chromatographic-mass spectrometric quantitation of Delta9-tetrahydrocannabinol and two metabolites in pharmacokinetic study plasma samples.
abstract: A sensitive method for the determination of Delta(9)-tetrahydrocannabinol and its metabolites, 11-nor-Delta(9)-tetrahydrocannabinol-9-carboxylic acid and 11-hydroxy-Delta(9)-tetrahydrocannabinol, in rat and guinea pig plasma was developed using high-performance liquid chromatographic separation with electrospray ionization mass spectrometry detection and a simple liquid-liquid extraction technique. The mean recoveries for Delta(9)-tetrahydrocannabinol, 11-nor-Delta(9)-tetrahydrocannabinol-9-carboxylic acid, and 11-hydroxy-Delta(9)-tetrahydrocannabinol were 96, 92, and 85%, respectively. The lower limit of quantification (LLOQ) for all three compounds was 5 ng/ml and the limit of detection (LOD) was 2 ng/ml. This assay method utilizes the increased sensitivity and selectivity of mass spectrometric (MS) detection and a simple extraction step for the determination of Delta(9)-tetrahydrocannabinol and its metabolites in plasma, and thus yields a more efficient pharmacokinetic analysis method than has previously been described.
authors.affiliation: Division of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY 40536-0082, USA.
authors.forename: Satyanarayana
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Valiveti
authors.forename: Audra L
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: Stinchcomb
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002853:Chromatography, Liquid / Q000379:methods*; D013759:Dronabinol / Q000097:blood* / Q000493:pharmacokinetics; D006168:Guinea Pigs; D051381:Rats; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D021241:Spectrometry, Mass, Electrospray Ionization / Q000379:methods*
chemical_list: D013759:Dronabinol