Selective system of identification and determination of antidepressants and neuroleptics in serum or plasma by...

A selective off-line solid-phase isolation of antidepressants, neuroleptics and other structurally related basic drugs from plasma or serum prior to high-performance liquid chromatography was tested and optimized for general use in toxicological analyses where concomitant drugs can be encountered. The sequential elution preseparated drug mixtures and simplified the subsequent analytical steps. High isolation efficiencies of cyano-bonded silica cartridges from Baker for fifteen amine drugs were determined. Isocratic chromatography on octadecylsilica proved to be very suitable for broad practical applications in complicated cases. The identification of an unknown peak was supported by photodiode-array detection in the range 200-400 nm with a resolution of 2 nm. The linearity of the assay from therapeutic to toxic concentrations was attained. Sufficient sensitivities covering low therapeutic levels of parent drugs and their demethylated metabolites were reached. The system is flexible and allows various methods of quantitative assay to be devised according to the conditions of a particular case in clinical or forensic toxicology.