title: A simple and sensitive method for the determination of propofol in human solid tissues by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry.
abstract: Propofol is a widely used intravenous agent for induction and maintenance of anesthesia and for sedation in intensive care patients, but it is also associated with abuse and dependency. A simple and sensitive method for the determination of propofol in human whole blood, brain, liver, and adipose tissue by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry using selected-ion monitoring mode is described. Propofol was extracted from 0.2-mL or 0.2-g sample size by a single-step basic extraction procedure using 100 microL heptane with thymol (50 ng) as an internal standard. The calibration curves of the specimens were linear in the concentration range of 10-5000 ng/mL or ng/g, and the limit of detection was 2.5 ng/mL in blood, 5.0 ng/g in brain and liver, and 10 ng/g in adipose tissue. Absolute recovery of propofol was determined in three samples and averaged over 95% for blood and brain, 66% for liver, and 51% for adipose tissue. Within-day and between-day precision was measured in five samples each at 50 and 500 ng/mL or ng/g in all specimens and was determined to be less than 10%. The developed propofol method was applied to a forensic autopsy case where a suspected propofol misinjection occurred eight days prior to death, and the tissue analysis was vital to the case.
authors.affiliation: Department of Forensic Pathology and Sciences, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kyushu University, Fukuoka 812-8582, Japan.
authors.forename: Wakako
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Hikiji
authors.forename: Keiko
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kudo
authors.forename: Yosuke
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Usumoto
authors.forename: Akiko
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Tsuji
authors.forename: Noriaki
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Ikeda
mesh_terms: D000273:Adipose Tissue / Q000737:chemistry; D000368:Aged; D018686:Anesthetics, Intravenous / Q000032:analysis* / Q000493:pharmacokinetics; D001923:Brain Chemistry; D002138:Calibration; D053593:Forensic Toxicology; D008401:Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry; D006801:Humans; D008099:Liver / Q000737:chemistry; D008297:Male; D015742:Propofol / Q000032:analysis* / Q000493:pharmacokinetics; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D014018:Tissue Distribution
chemical_list: D018686:Anesthetics, Intravenous; D015742:Propofol