Solid-phase extraction of drugs from biological tissues--a review

Solid-phase extraction procedures are being used increasingly in all types of drug testing laboratories, including those which carry out forensic toxicology. The advantages of such procedures include decreased operator time, reduced solvent volumes, and increased extraction efficiency. The application of existing techniques, however, has not yet been applied to tissues that are widely available postmortem. Tissue analysis can make the task of interpretation of drug levels much easier, particularly where unstable drugs are involved (e.g., cocaine). This review article explores the possibilities of applying existing extraction procedures to human tissue samples. We also consider the reasons why forensic laboratories have been slow to investigate such possibilities. We hope to stimulate interest in alternative tissue extraction procedures by reviewing reported procedures that apply to both human and animal tissue.