title: Detection of abused drugs in human blood by using the on-site drug-screening device Oratect® III.
abstract: A simple and precise drug screening method was developed for the detection of abused drugs in whole blood by using the Oratect® III device that is usually employed for the detection of drugs in saliva. Whole blood was acidified with phosphoric acid, following which the hemolyzed solution was filtered through the ultrafiltration column Vivaspin 2 Hydrosart®. The filtrate was then tested for the presence of drugs using Oratect III. The detection limit of the device for methamphetamine, amphetamine, morphine, codeine, dihydrocodeine, diazepam, alprazolam, estazolam, and prazepam in whole blood was 125, 125, 50, 50, 50, 25, 60, 15, and 75ng/mL, respectively. The concentration range detected was between therapeutic and toxic drug levels; therefore, the proposed method can be applied for detecting the presence of abused drugs in blood. Our method is a novel, optimized technique for use in forensic laboratories to screen whole blood for drugs of abuse.
authors.affiliation: Department of Forensic Medicine, Graduate School of Biomedical and Health Sciences, Hiroshima University, Kasumi 1-2-3, Minami-ku, Hiroshima 734-8553, Japan.
authors.forename: Hirokazu
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Toubou
authors.affiliation: Department of Forensic Medicine, Graduate School of Biomedical and Health Sciences, Hiroshima University, Kasumi 1-2-3, Minami-ku, Hiroshima 734-8553, Japan. Electronic address: namera@hiroshima-u.ac.jp.
authors.forename: Akira
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Namera
authors.affiliation: Department of Forensic Medicine, Graduate School of Biomedical and Health Sciences, Hiroshima University, Kasumi 1-2-3, Minami-ku, Hiroshima 734-8553, Japan.
authors.forename: Yousuke
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Arima
authors.affiliation: Forensic Science Laboratory, Hiroshima Prefectural Police Headquarters, Kohnan 2-26-3, Naka-ku, Hiroshima 730-0825, Japan.
authors.forename: Yukie
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Uchida
authors.affiliation: Department of Forensic Medicine, Graduate School of Biomedical and Health Sciences, Hiroshima University, Kasumi 1-2-3, Minami-ku, Hiroshima 734-8553, Japan.
authors.forename: Aiko
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Torikoshi
authors.affiliation: Department of Nursing, Faculty of Health and Welfare, Kawasaki University of Medical Welfare, Matsushima 288, Kurashiki, Okayama 701-0193, Japan.
authors.forename: Fumio
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Moriya
authors.affiliation: Department of Forensic Medicine, Graduate School of Biomedical and Health Sciences, Hiroshima University, Kasumi 1-2-3, Minami-ku, Hiroshima 734-8553, Japan.
authors.forename: Masataka
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Nagao
mesh_terms: D002853:Chromatography, Liquid; D005554:Forensic Medicine / Q000295:instrumentation*; D006801:Humans; D013287:Illicit Drugs / Q000097:blood*; D013058:Mass Spectrometry; D015813:Substance Abuse Detection / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000379:methods
chemical_list: D013287:Illicit Drugs
keywords: Drug screening; Forensic toxicology; Oratect® III; Whole blood