A Fast and Comprehensive Analysis of 32 Synthetic Cannabinoids Using Agilent Triple Quadrupole LC-MS-MS

Synthetic cannabinoids are a group of psychoactive compounds that mimic the effects of Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol, the primary psychoactive constituent of marijuana (Cannabis sativa L). The Drug Enforcement Administration has classified many of the most common cannabinoids as Schedule 1 controlled substances. As a result, several novel synthetic cannabinoid series have emerged in the illicit drug market, including PINACA, FUBINACA, PB-22, AKB-48 and multiple derivatives of these compounds. Our laboratory developed and validated an analytical method for the analysis 32 synthetic cannabinoid metabolites in urine samples. Included in this method are metabolites that are constituents of the new generation of synthetic cannabinoids. Following enzymatic hydrolysis, target analytes were recovered by liquid-liquid extraction utilizing 1-chlorobutane:isopropyl alcohol (70:30) as the organic ratio. Chromatographic separation and detection was achieved using an Agilent Technologies 1290 liquid chromatograph coupled to a 6460-triple quadrupole mass spectrometer with a Jetstream electrospray source. Linearity for all analytes was established along the range of 0.5-200 ng/mL. Both intraday and interday accuracy and precision data were all within acceptable limits, ±20% error and ±15% relative standard deviation, respectively. Recovery ranged from 48% to 104%. This method has shown to be selective and specific, providing no evidence of interference or carryover concerns. Finally, 11 distinct synthetic cannabinoids were detected in 23 of 25 donor samples analyzed with the method. The data presented here represents a validated liquid chromatography  tandem mass spectrometry method to accurately identify and quantitate synthetic cannabinoid metabolites in urine samples, incorporating new generation derivatives.