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Updated: Aug 25, 2026

High-throughput and Comprehensive Drug Surveillance Using Multisegment Injection-Capillary Electrophoresis-Mass Spectrometry
Published on: April 23, 2019
Liquid chromatographic-mass spectrometric quantitation of Delta9-tetrahydrocannabinol and two metabolites in
Satyanarayana Valiveti1, Audra L Stinchcomb
1Division of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY 40536-0082, USA.
Abstract:
A sensitive method for the determination of Delta(9)-tetrahydrocannabinol and its metabolites, 11-nor-Delta(9)-tetrahydrocannabinol-9-carboxylic acid and 11-hydroxy-Delta(9)-tetrahydrocannabinol, in rat and guinea pig plasma was developed using high-performance liquid chromatographic separation with electrospray ionization mass spectrometry detection and a simple liquid-liquid extraction technique. The mean recoveries for Delta(9)-tetrahydrocannabinol, 11-nor-Delta(9)-tetrahydrocannabinol-9-carboxylic acid, and 11-hydroxy-Delta(9)-tetrahydrocannabinol were 96, 92, and 85%, respectively. The lower limit of quantification (LLOQ) for all three compounds was 5 ng/ml and the limit of detection (LOD) was 2 ng/ml. This assay method utilizes the increased sensitivity and selectivity of mass spectrometric (MS) detection and a simple extraction step for the determination of Delta(9)-tetrahydrocannabinol and its metabolites in plasma, and thus yields a more efficient pharmacokinetic analysis method than has previously been described.

