Application of Solid Phase Microextraction Methods for Forensic Toxicological Analysis of Postmortem and Decomposed Samples

Solid Phase Microextraction (SPME) emerged decades ago as an alternative to conventional liquid-liquid extraction procedures. SPME combines several phases of sample preparation in one step and is compatible for automation. The use of SPME in forensic toxicology analysis has been well documented for matrices such as urine, blood and hair. However, little data exists on the use of SPME in tissues and other body fluids which are necessary for toxicological analysis of postmortem and decomposed samples. This proposed study is 1) to study the application of SPME methods for postmortem tissue samples and body fluid samples in addition to blood and urine, 2) to study the application method for decomposed samples, 3) to study the distribution of analytes and metabolites in question in various tissues and body fluids, and 4) study the application of SPME on two groups of analytes, benzodiazepines and amphetamines. Amphetamines are a common type of controlled substance and Benzodiazepines are often used in drug-facilitated sexual assault cases. These procedures are currently desired in the field of forensic toxicology.

ca/ncf