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Barbiturate analysis in tissue by enzymic digestion and high-performance liquid chromatography
V Shankar1, C Damodaran, P C Sekharan
1Forensic Sciences Department, Madras, India.
Forensic Science International
|January 1, 1989
Summary
Papain and neutrase enzymatic digestion methods offer superior recovery of acidic drugs from liver tissue compared to conventional techniques. Papain digestion is recommended for forensic toxicological analysis due to its high drug recovery and reproducibility.
Area of Science:
- Forensic Toxicology
- Analytical Chemistry
- Biochemistry
Background:
- Accurate quantification of acidic drugs in biological matrices is crucial for forensic investigations.
- Conventional methods for drug extraction from tissues can be time-consuming and less efficient.
- Enzymatic digestion offers a promising alternative for improved drug release.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare the efficiency of enzymatic and conventional methods for releasing barbiturates from spiked liver tissue.
- To identify the optimal method for maximizing drug recovery in forensic toxicological analysis.
Main Methods:
- Comparison of four enzymatic digestion procedures (including papain and neutrase) and two conventional methods.
- Analysis of drug recovery using High-Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC).
Main Results:
- Papain and neutrase enzymatic digestion methods yielded higher recoveries of acidic drugs compared to other tested methods.
- Papain digestion provided the maximum drug recovery.
- Enzymatic procedures were found to be simple, cost-effective, and reproducible.
Conclusions:
- Enzymatic digestion, particularly using papain, is a highly effective method for releasing barbiturates from liver tissue.
- These enzymatic methods are suitable for routine forensic toxicological analysis.
- The findings support the use of papain and neutrase for efficient drug extraction from biological samples.