title: Three-step drug extraction from a single sub-millimeter segment of hair and nail to determine the exact day of drug intake.
abstract: Hair and nails are often used to prove drug intake over several months. However, it is impossible to determine the day of drug intake by conventional segmental analysis of bulk samples. To improve this segmental analysis, we prepared accurate 0.4-mm hair and 0.2-mm nail segments, which correspond to their respective growth rates of 1-2 days, using a tissue slicer. The aim of this study was to develop an efficient method to extract drugs from a single sub-millimeter segment of hair and nail. Hair and nails were collected from a subject who was administered a single dose of chlorpheniramine. Four drug extraction methods based on different principles such as sonication, microwaves, micropulverization, and alkaline dissolution were compared. Short-duration sonication followed by long-duration soaking served the aim. Drug extraction from a sub-millimeter segment was performed in three steps as follows: a segment was first washed, followed by sonication for 10 min soaking in the extraction solution for 24 h. The drug concentrations in the three extracts from each segment were quantified using high performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. Each concentration was displayed on a single hair strand and a single nail block so that the first, second, and third extracts corresponded to components on the surface, in the outer layer, and within the sample, respectively. The distribution of chlorpheniramine in a hair successfully reflected the intake history. This method can be used in the future to measure the detailed distribution of drugs in a single hair and nail.
authors.affiliation: National Research Institute of Police Science, 6-3-1 Kashiwanoha, Kashiwa, Chiba, 277-0882, Japan. Electronic address: kuwayama@nrips.go.jp.
authors.forename: Kenji
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kuwayama
authors.affiliation: National Research Institute of Police Science, 6-3-1 Kashiwanoha, Kashiwa, Chiba, 277-0882, Japan.
authors.forename: Hajime
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Miyaguchi
authors.affiliation: National Research Institute of Police Science, 6-3-1 Kashiwanoha, Kashiwa, Chiba, 277-0882, Japan.
authors.forename: Yuko T
authors.initials: YT
authors.lastname: Iwata
authors.affiliation: National Research Institute of Police Science, 6-3-1 Kashiwanoha, Kashiwa, Chiba, 277-0882, Japan.
authors.forename: Tatsuyuki
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kanamori
authors.affiliation: National Research Institute of Police Science, 6-3-1 Kashiwanoha, Kashiwa, Chiba, 277-0882, Japan.
authors.forename: Kenji
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Tsujikawa
authors.affiliation: National Research Institute of Police Science, 6-3-1 Kashiwanoha, Kashiwa, Chiba, 277-0882, Japan.
authors.forename: Tadashi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Yamamuro
authors.affiliation: National Research Institute of Police Science, 6-3-1 Kashiwanoha, Kashiwa, Chiba, 277-0882, Japan.
authors.forename: Hiroki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Segawa
authors.affiliation: National Research Institute of Police Science, 6-3-1 Kashiwanoha, Kashiwa, Chiba, 277-0882, Japan.
authors.forename: Hiroyuki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Inoue
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002744:Chlorpheniramine / Q000032:analysis*; D002851:Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid / Q000379:methods; D006197:Hair / Q000737:chemistry*; D064368:Healthy Volunteers; D006801:Humans; D057230:Limit of Detection; D009262:Nails / Q000737:chemistry*; D004364:Pharmaceutical Preparations / Q000032:analysis*; D053719:Tandem Mass Spectrometry / Q000379:methods
chemical_list: D004364:Pharmaceutical Preparations; D002744:Chlorpheniramine
keywords: Distribution; Drug; Hair; LC/MS; Nail