title: LC/MS/MS analysis of quaternary ammonium drugs and herbicides in whole blood.
abstract: 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.
authors.affiliation: Forensic Medicine and Science Department, Joseph Black Building, University of Glasgow, University Place, G12 8QQ Glasgow, Scotland. erinariffin@yahoo.com
authors.forename: Marinah M
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Ariffin
authors.forename: Robert A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Anderson
mesh_terms: 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*
chemical_list: 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