Detection and quantification of cocaine and benzoylecgonine in meconium using solid phase extraction and UPLC/MS/MS

The simultaneous determination and quantification of cocaine and its major metabolite, benzoylecgonine, in meconium using UPLC-MS/MS is described. Ultra-performance liquid chromatography (UPLC) is an emerging analytical technique which draws upon the principles of chromatography to run separations at higher flow rates for increased speed, while simultaneously achieving superior resolution and sensitivity. Extraction of cocaine and benzoylecgonine from the homogenized meconium matrix was achieved with a preliminary protein precipitation or protein 'crash' employing cold acetonitrile, followed by a mixed mode solid phase extraction (SPE). Following elution from the SPE cartridge, eluents were dried down under nitrogen, reconstituted in 200 microL of DI water:acetonitrile (ACN) (75:25), and injected onto the UPLC/MS/MS for analysis. The increased speed and separation efficiency afforded by UPLC, allowed for the separation and subsequent quantification of both analytes in less than 2 min. Analytes were quantified using multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) and six-point calibration curves constructed in negative blood. Limits of detection for both analytes were 3 ng/g and the lower limit of quantitation (LLOQ) was 30 ng/g.