title: Serum/whole blood concentration ratio for ethylglucuronide and ethyl sulfate.
abstract: Serum/blood (S/B) concentration ratios for ethyl glucuronide (EtG) and ethyl sulfate (EtS) are missing from the literature, and the aim of this study was to determine these ratios in samples from patients at admission to an alcohol rehabilitation clinic. Two blood samples were collected simultaneously, and EtG and EtS were analyzed in whole blood and serum, respectively, using a liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry method. Separate calibration standards were prepared in both whole blood and serum for the calculation of whole blood and serum concentrations, respectively. Thirteen pairs of serum and whole blood were analyzed. The median S/B value for EtG was 1.69, and the range was 1.33-1.90. For EtS, the median S/B ratio was 1.30, and the range was 1.08-1.47. The S/B ratio was significantly lower for EtS than for EtG (p < 0.001). The higher concentrations of EtG and EtS in serum than in whole blood have to be considered when whole blood results obtained from forensic toxicology are compared to serum or plasma results from clinical laboratories.
authors.affiliation: Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Division of Forensic Toxicology and Drug Abuse, Nydalen, Oslo, Norway. Gudrun.Hoiseth@fhi.no
authors.forename: Gudrun
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Høiseth
authors.forename: Luca
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Morini
authors.forename: Aldo
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Polettini
authors.forename: Asbjørg S
authors.initials: AS
authors.lastname: Christophersen
authors.forename: Lene
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Johnsen
authors.forename: Ritva
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Karinen
authors.forename: Jørg
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Mørland
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000437:Alcoholism / Q000097:blood* / Q000628:therapy; D001711:Biotransformation; D002138:Calibration; D002853:Chromatography, Liquid; D000431:Ethanol / Q000097:blood*; D005260:Female; D005965:Glucuronates / Q000097:blood*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D013058:Mass Spectrometry; D008875:Middle Aged; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D044967:Serum / Q000378:metabolism; D015813:Substance Abuse Detection / Q000379:methods / Q000592:standards; D016320:Substance Abuse Treatment Centers; D013463:Sulfuric Acid Esters / Q000097:blood*
chemical_list: D005965:Glucuronates; D013463:Sulfuric Acid Esters; C093924:ethyl glucuronide; D000431:Ethanol; C011612:diethyl sulfate