Rapid quantification of buprenorphine-glucuronide and norbuprenorphine-glucuronide in human urine by LC-MS-MS

A liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS-MS) method was developed and validated for the determination of buprenorphine-glucuronide (BUP-G) and norbuprenorphine-glucuronide (NBUP-G) in human urine. The method included a dilution step followed by filtration through a Mini-Uniprep Filter and direct injection onto the LC column. The analytes were quantified in multiple reactions monitoring mode using one transition ion. Norbuprenorpine-d(3) (NBUP-d(3)) was used as the internal standard. The concentration ranges were 6-161 ng/mL for BUP-G and 12-295 ng/mL for NBUP-G. Recoveries determined after filtration for the analytes were 75%. The between-day precision of the method was in the range of 4.8-11%. The limits of quantification were found to be 4.6 ng/mL for BUP-G and 11.8 ng/mL for NBUP-G. Approximately 1000 samples from law enforcement, prison inmates, probation services, and hospitals were analyzed by the presented method. The ratios of drug glucuronides versus creatinine were calculated for a selection of samples (n = 151), where there was information on treatment with buprenorphine between 16 and 20 mg/day. The majority (86%) of the samples had a ratio of BUP-G/creatinine below 570 microg/g, and 76% of the samples had NBUP-G/creatinine lower than 1060 microg/g. The LC-MS-MS method proved to be robust and specific for the determination of BUP-G and NBUP-G in urine.