title: Quantitative determination of sildenafil (Viagra) and its metabolite (UK-103,320) in fluid and tissue specimens obtained from six aviation fatalities.
abstract: During the investigation of aviation accidents, postmortem samples from victims are submitted to the Federal Aviation Administration's Civil Aerospace Medical Institute for toxicological analysis. This report presents a rapid and reliable method for the identification and quantitation of sildenafil (Viagra) and its active metabolite, UK-103,320. This procedure utilizes sildenafil-d(8) as an internal standard for more accurate and reliable quantitation. The quantitation of sildenafil and UK-103,320 in postmortem fluid and tissue specimens obtained from victims from six separate aviation fatalities is described. The method incorporates solid-phase extraction and liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS-MS) and MS-MS-MS utilizing an atmospheric pressure chemical ionization ion trap MS in the positive chemical ionization mode. Solid-phase extraction provided an efficient sample extraction yielding recoveries ranging from 79 to 88%. The limits of detection for sildenafil and UK-103,320 were 0.39 and 0.19 ng/mL, respectively. The linear dynamic range for both compounds was 0.78-800 ng/mL. The current method proved to be simple, accurate, and robust for the identification and quantitation of sildenafil and UK-103,320 in postmortem fluids and tissues.
authors.affiliation: Civil Aerospace Medical Institute, Federal Aviation Administration, Bioaeronautical Sciences Research Laboratory, AAM-610, P.O. Box 25082, Oklahoma City, OK 73125, USA.
authors.forename: Russell J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Lewis
authors.forename: Robert D
authors.initials: RD
authors.lastname: Johnson
authors.forename: C LeRoy L
authors.initials: CL
authors.lastname: Blank
mesh_terms: D000060:Accidents, Aviation; D001826:Body Fluids / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism*; D002851:Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid; D005554:Forensic Medicine / Q000379:methods; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010879:Piperazines / Q000032:analysis / Q000493:pharmacokinetics*; D011687:Purines; D011744:Pyrimidinones / Q000032:analysis / Q000493:pharmacokinetics*; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D000068677:Sildenafil Citrate; D021241:Spectrometry, Mass, Electrospray Ionization; D013450:Sulfones; D014018:Tissue Distribution; D014665:Vasodilator Agents / Q000032:analysis / Q000493:pharmacokinetics*
chemical_list: D010879:Piperazines; D011687:Purines; D011744:Pyrimidinones; D013450:Sulfones; C109995:UK 103320; D014665:Vasodilator Agents; D000068677:Sildenafil Citrate