MASS SPECTROMETRY ANALYSIS OF DRUGS OF ABUSE: CHALLENGES AND EMERGING STRATEGIES

Area of Science:

• Forensic Toxicology
• Analytical Chemistry
• Pharmacology

Background:

• Mass spectrometry (MS) is the established standard for drugs of abuse (DoA) analysis due to its high sensitivity and selectivity.
• The increasing prevalence of potent novel psychoactive substances (NPS) necessitates advanced analytical methods for accurate identification and quantification.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review recent advancements in mass spectrometry techniques for drugs of abuse analysis.
• To highlight progress in sample preparation, chromatography-mass spectrometry, and ambient ionization MS over the past decade.
• To provide an outlook on future trends in DoA analysis using mass spectrometry.

Main Methods:

• Review of scientific literature published in the last ten years.
• Focus on advancements in sample preparation techniques for DoA analysis.
• Survey of developments in gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) and liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS).
• Exploration of emerging ambient ionization mass spectrometry (AIM) techniques.

Main Results:

• Significant progress has been made in all aspects of mass spectrometry applied to DoA analysis.
• New psychoactive substances (NPS) analysis is greatly improved by enhanced MS sensitivity and selectivity.
• Ambient ionization MS offers rapid and sensitive detection of drugs of abuse with minimal sample preparation.

Conclusions:

• Mass spectrometry continues to be indispensable for drugs of abuse testing, particularly for novel and high-potency substances.
• Recent innovations in MS, including ambient ionization, are crucial for addressing emerging public health challenges.
• Future developments will likely focus on further improving speed, sensitivity, and portability for on-site DoA screening.