Using Sesame Seed Oil to Preserve and Preconcentrate Cannabinoids for Paper Spray Mass Spectrometry

• NCJ Number: 301230
• Journal: Journal of the American Society for Mass Spectrometry Volume: 31 Issue: 3 Dated: 2020 Pages: 675-684
• Author(s): B. Bills; N. Manicke
• Date Published: 2020
• Length: 10 pages
• Grant Number(s): 2016-DN-BX-0007
• Agencies: NIJ-Sponsored
• Award: Development of Paper Spray Mass Spectrometry for the Detection of Acetyl Fentanyl and Synthetic Cannabinoids

Annotation

This article presents a method for concentrating and preserving THC and synthetic cannabinoids in urine and oral fluid on paper for analysis by paper spray mass spectrometry.

Abstract

Cannabinoids present a unique set of analytical challenges. An increasing number of states have voted to decriminalize recreational marijuana use, creating a need for new kinds of rapid testing. At the same time, synthetic compounds with activity similar to THC, termed synthetic cannabinoids, have become more prevalent and pose significant health risks. A rapid method capable of detecting both natural and synthetic cannabinoids would be useful in cases of driving under the influence of drugs, where it might not be obvious whether the suspect consumed marijuana, a synthetic cannabinoid, or both. Paper spray mass spectrometry is an ambient ionization technique which allows for the direct ionization of analyte from a biofluid spot on a piece of paper. Natural cannabinoids like THC, however, are labile and rapidly disappear from dried sample spots, making it difficult to detect them at clinically relevant levels. In the current study, sesame seed oil was examined both as a means of preserving THC and as part of a technique, termed paper strip extraction, wherein urine or oral fluid is flowed through an oil spot on a strip of paper to preconcentrate cannabinoids. This technique preserved THC in dried biofluid samples for at least 27 days at room temperature; paper spray MS/MS analysis of these preserved dried spots was able to detect THC and synthetic cannabinoids at low ng/mL concentrations, making it suitable as a rapid screening technique. The technique was adapted for use with a commercially available autosampler. (publisher abstract modified)