LC/MS/MS analysis of quaternary ammonium drugs and herbicides in whole blood.
Quaternary ammonium drugs (atracurium, bretylium, edrophonium, ipratropium, mivacurium, neostigmine, pancuronium and rocuronium) and herbicides (difenzoquat, diquat and paraquat) in human whole blood were analysed by LC/MS/MS with positive electrospray ionisation (ESI), following extraction with Bond Elut LRC-CBA cartridges. Internal standards were benzyldimethylphenylammonium chloride monohydrate and ethyl viologen for drug and herbicide analysis, respectively. Ion-pair chromatography used heptafluorobutyric acid (15 mM)-ammonium formate (20 mM) buffer adjusted to pH 3.30 with formic acid and a linear gradient from 5 to 90% methanol run over 18 min. Recoveries ranged from 79.7 to 105.1%, detection limits were between 3.6 and 20.4 ng/ml and the intra- and inter-day precisions were less than 18.6% at a concentration of 10 ng/ml. The method was applied to a case of accidental paraquat poisoning in which the concentration of paraquat in blood was 0.64 mg/l, which is within the range associated with fatal paraquat poisoning.
Ariffin
Marinah M
MM
Forensic Medicine and Science Department, Joseph Black Building, University of Glasgow, University Place, G12 8QQ Glasgow, Scotland. erinariffin@yahoo.com
Anderson
Robert A
RA
D000732:Androstanols / Q000097:blood; D001279:Atracurium / Q000097:blood; D001949:Bretylium Compounds / Q000097:blood; D002853:Chromatography, Liquid / Q000379:methods*; D004178:Diquat / Q000097:blood; D004491:Edrophonium / Q000097:blood; D006540:Herbicides / Q000097:blood*; D006801:Humans; D009241:Ipratropium / Q000097:blood; D007546:Isoquinolines / Q000097:blood; D000077590:Mivacurium; D009388:Neostigmine / Q000097:blood; D010197:Pancuronium / Q000097:blood; D010269:Paraquat / Q000097:blood; D011720:Pyrazoles / Q000097:blood; D000644:Quaternary Ammonium Compounds / Q000097:blood*; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D000077123:Rocuronium; D021241:Spectrometry, Mass, Electrospray Ionization / Q000379:methods*
D000732:Androstanols; D001949:Bretylium Compounds; D006540:Herbicides; D007546:Isoquinolines; D011720:Pyrazoles; D000644:Quaternary Ammonium Compounds; D001279:Atracurium; D009388:Neostigmine; C031394:difenzoquat; D004491:Edrophonium; D000077590:Mivacurium; D004178:Diquat; D009241:Ipratropium; D010197:Pancuronium; D010269:Paraquat; C045166:bretylium; D000077123:Rocuronium