A High-Throughput Ion Mobility Spectrometry-Mass Spectrometry Screening Method for Opioid Profiling

Area of Science:

• Analytical Chemistry
• Forensic Toxicology
• Clinical Chemistry

Background:

• The opioid epidemic, declared in 2017, has roots in the 1990s due to extensive opioid prescription for pain.
• Opioid abuse potential necessitates rapid screening for effective patient treatment and compliance monitoring.
• Assessing patient compliance in pain management is crucial for preventing opioid abuse and overdoses.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a rapid screening method for 33 target opioids and their urinary metabolites.
• To improve sample throughput for clinical applications compared to traditional methods.
• To aid in preventing opioid abuse and overdoses through faster patient sample analysis.

Main Methods:

• Utilized drift tube ion mobility spectrometry coupled with mass spectrometry (DTIMS-MS).
• Determined collision cross section values for target molecules using flow-injection DTIMS-MS.
• Coupled an automated solid phase extraction (SPE) platform to DTIMS-MS for rapid analysis.

Main Results:

• Achieved clear differentiation of 27 out of 33 opioids without prior chromatographic separation using a high-resolution demultiplexing approach.
• Demonstrated 10-second sample-to-sample analyses with the automated SPE-DTIMS-MS system.
• Showcased a significant improvement in sample throughput compared to traditional chromatographic methods.

Conclusions:

• The developed SPE-IMS-MS approach enables rapid screening of urine samples for opioids.
• This method offers a major advancement in sample throughput, reducing analysis time from minutes to seconds.
• The faster turn-around time provides substantial benefits for clinical applications in managing the opioid crisis.