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Drug Concentrations: Measurements

Drug Concentrations: Measurements

Drug concentration is the quantity of a drug present in a biological sample. Measuring drug amounts in biological samples allows the clinician to understand how a drug is absorbed, distributed, metabolized, and excreted. Samples can be obtained through invasive or non-invasive methods. Invasive techniques involve surgical or parenteral interventions to gather blood, cerebrospinal fluid, or tissue biopsy. Conversely, non-invasive approaches provide samples like urine, feces, and saliva.
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Whole Vitreous Humor Dissection for Vitreodynamic Analysis

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Published on: May 24, 2015

Acidic Drug Concentrations in Postmortem Vitreous Humor and Peripheral Blood.

Jacqueline A Hubbard¹, Aylmer L Navarrete², Robert L Fitzgerald¹

¹Department of Pathology, University of California, San Diego, CA 92121, USA.

Journal of Analytical Toxicology

|November 8, 2019

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Vitreous humor offers a viable alternative for postmortem drug testing when blood is unavailable. This study found vitreous fluid reliably detects certain acidic drugs, particularly antiepileptics, though concentrations may be lower than in blood.

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Dissection of Human Vitreous Body Elements for Proteomic Analysis

Dissection of Human Vitreous Body Elements for Proteomic Analysis

Published on: January 23, 2011

Area of Science:

Forensic Toxicology
Analytical Chemistry

Background:

Peripheral blood is the standard for postmortem drug screening.
Postmortem redistribution can affect blood drug concentrations.
Vitreous humor is an accessible alternative matrix.

Purpose of the Study:

To compare acidic drug concentrations in vitreous humor and peripheral blood.
To evaluate vitreous humor as an alternative matrix for postmortem toxicology.
To assess drug correlation and redistribution in vitreous humor.

Main Methods:

Analysis of 7 acidic drugs in 89 autopsy cases.
High-performance liquid chromatography with diode-array detection.
Comparison of drug concentrations between vitreous humor and peripheral blood.

Main Results:

Vitreous drug concentrations were significantly lower than peripheral blood (V/PB ratios 0.0–0.6).
Poor correlation for over-the-counter analgesics (e.g., acetaminophen R2=0.72).
Excellent correlation for antiepileptic drugs (carbamazepine, phenytoin, phenobarbital R2≥0.95).

Conclusions:

Vitreous humor is a promising alternative matrix for postmortem toxicology.
It is suitable for detecting specific acidic drugs, especially antiepileptics.
Further research may refine interpretation of vitreous drug concentrations.