title: Novel method for simultaneous aqueous in situ derivatization of THC and THC-COOH in human urine samples: validation and application to real samples.
abstract: The present work describes the validation of a novel aqueous in situ derivatization procedure with trimethyloxonium tetrafluoroborate (TMO) as methylating agent for the simultaneous, quantitative analysis of Δ(9)-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and 11-nor-Δ(9)-tetrahydrocannabinol carboxylic acid (THC-COOH) in human urine. The derivatizing agent is directly added to the urine sample and the methyl-derivatives are then recovered by liquid-liquid extraction procedure. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry was used to detect the derivatives in selected ion monitoring mode. The limits of detection were 0.7 ng/mL for THC and 0.5 ng/mL for THC-COOH, whereas the limits of quantification were 1.9 and 0.9 ng/mL, respectively. The method has been applied to 60 real samples both positive and negative to immunochemical screening test resulting to be very useful and reliable in routine analysis of THC-COOH in human urine for toxicological and forensic purposes.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neuroscience, Section of Forensic Medicine, University of Pisa, Via Roma 57, Pisa 56126, Italy. chericoni@neuroscienze.unipi.it
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Chericoni
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Battistini
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Dugheri
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Pacenti
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Giusiani
mesh_terms: D001881:Borates / Q000737:chemistry; D002264:Carboxylic Acids / Q000737:chemistry / Q000652:urine*; D013759:Dronabinol / Q000737:chemistry / Q000652:urine*; D008401:Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry; D006801:Humans; D013287:Illicit Drugs / Q000737:chemistry / Q000652:urine*; D015813:Substance Abuse Detection / Q000379:methods*
chemical_list: D001881:Borates; D002264:Carboxylic Acids; D013287:Illicit Drugs; C003713:trimethyloxonium tetrafluoroborate(1-); D013759:Dronabinol