title: High-performance liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry for the determination of nine hallucinogenic 25-NBOMe designer drugs in urine specimens.
abstract: We present a high-performance liquid chromatography triple quadrupole mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS-MS) method for the identification and quantification of nine serotonin 5-HT2A receptor agonist hallucinogenic substances from a new class of N-methoxybenzyl derivatives of methoxyphenylethylamine (NBOMe) designer drugs in human urine: 25H-NBOMe, 2CC-NBOMe, 25I-NBF, 25D-NBOMe, 25B-NBOMe, 2CT-NBOMe, 25I-NBMD, 25G-NBOMe and 25I-NBOMe. This assay was developed for the Virginia Commonwealth University Clinical and Forensic Toxicology laboratory to screen emergency department specimens in response to an outbreak of N-benzyl-phenethylamine derivative abuse and overdose cases in Virginia. The NBOMe derivatives were rapidly extracted from the urine specimens by use of FASt™ solid-phase extraction columns. Assay performance was determined as recommended for validation by the Scientific Working Group for Forensic Toxicology (SWGTOX) for linearity, lower limit of quantification, lower limit of detection, accuracy/bias, precision, dilution integrity, carryover, selectivity, absolute recovery, ion suppression and stability. Linearity was verified to be from 1 to 100 ng/mL for each of the nine analytes. The bias determined for the NBOMe derivatives was 86-116% with a <14% coefficient of variation over the linear range of the assay. Four different NBOMe derivatives were detected using the presented method in patient urine specimens.
authors.affiliation: 1Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Virginia Commonwealth University, PO Box 980613, Richmond, VA 23298-0613, USA.
authors.forename: Justin L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Poklis
authors.forename: Deborah J
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Clay
authors.forename: Alphonse
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Poklis
mesh_terms: D002851:Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid / Q000379:methods*; D015198:Designer Drugs / Q000032:analysis*; D053593:Forensic Toxicology; D006213:Hallucinogens / Q000652:urine*; D006801:Humans; D057230:Limit of Detection; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D052616:Solid Phase Extraction; D013048:Specimen Handling; D053719:Tandem Mass Spectrometry / Q000379:methods*
chemical_list: D015198:Designer Drugs; D006213:Hallucinogens