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Whole blood deproteinization for drug screening using automatic pipettors
C Collins1, J Muto, V Spiehler
1Los Angeles County Department of Coroner, California 90033.
Journal of Analytical Toxicology
|September 1, 1992
Summary
Automating drug screening in postmortem samples is now possible with a new deproteinization method. This zinc sulfate-5-sulfosalicylic acid procedure is compatible with immunoassay screening tests, improving efficiency.
Area of Science:
- Forensic Toxicology
- Clinical Chemistry
- Biochemistry
Background:
- Automated screening of postmortem samples for drugs of abuse is crucial for accurate toxicological analysis.
- Existing methods may not be fully compatible with high-throughput immunoassay screening.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop and validate a deproteinization procedure for postmortem blood and tissues compatible with automated immunoassay screening.
Main Methods:
- A deproteinization method utilizing a zinc sulfate-5-sulfosalicylic acid reagent was employed.
- The procedure was designed to precipitate proteins from whole blood and tissue homogenates.
Main Results:
- The developed deproteinization procedure effectively precipitates blood proteins.
- This method demonstrates compatibility with coated tube radioimmunoassays (RIA).
Conclusions:
- The zinc sulfate-5-sulfosalicylic acid deproteinization procedure is suitable for automating the initial drug screening of postmortem samples.
- This advancement facilitates efficient and reliable toxicological analysis in forensic settings.