Developing and Validating a Fast and Accurate Method to Quantify 18 Antidepressants in Oral Fluid Samples Using SPE...

Area of Science:

• Analytical Chemistry
• Pharmacology

Background:

• Antidepressant drugs are widely prescribed for major depressive disorders.
• Oral fluid (OF) testing is a convenient and non-invasive method for drug analysis.
• Accurate detection of antidepressants in OF is crucial for therapeutic drug monitoring and forensic toxicology.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and validate a comprehensive liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) method.
• To detect 18 common antidepressants and their metabolites in oral fluid.
• To establish a rapid and reliable method for routine laboratory use.

Main Methods:

• Oral fluid samples collected using Quantisal® devices.
• Solid-phase extraction for sample preparation.
• Liquid chromatography with a biphenyl column and tandem mass spectrometry detection (MRM).

Main Results:

• Validated method for 18 antidepressants with linearity from 10-1,000 ng/mL and LOD of 10 ng/mL.
• High accuracy and precision within acceptable limits (±20% error, ±15% RSD).
• Successful detection in proficiency testing and authentic patient samples.

Conclusions:

• A comprehensive and validated LC-MS/MS method for detecting 18 antidepressants in oral fluid was developed.
• The method is rapid, accurate, and suitable for routine clinical and forensic analysis.
• This contributes to improved therapeutic drug monitoring and driving under influence testing.