Rapid, simultaneous quantification of morphine, codeine, and hydromorphone by GC/MS.

Area of Science:

• Forensic Toxicology
• Analytical Chemistry
• Pharmacology

Background:

• Accurate quantification of opioids like morphine, codeine, and hydromorphone is crucial for clinical and forensic toxicology.
• Existing methods may lack the sensitivity or efficiency required for comprehensive opioid analysis.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and validate a sensitive method for the one-step extraction and quantification of morphine, codeine, and hydromorphone.
• To establish a reliable analytical procedure for opioid detection in various biological matrices.

Main Methods:

• One-step extraction of target opiates from blood or serum.
• Derivatization of extracted opiates followed by Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (GC/MS) in selected ion monitoring (SIM) mode.
• Use of nalorphine as an internal standard for accurate quantification.

Main Results:

• Achieved linear calibration curves for the quantified opiates.
• Demonstrated high sensitivity with detection limits as low as 0.02 mg/L for morphine and codeine, and 0.08 mg/L for hydromorphone.
• Showed applicability to urine and tissue homogenates after acid hydrolysis.

Conclusions:

• The developed GC/MS-SIM method provides a sensitive and efficient approach for opioid analysis.
• This method is suitable for the quantification of morphine, codeine, and hydromorphone in diverse biological samples.
• The procedure can be adapted for post-mortem toxicology and clinical drug monitoring.