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Can opiates in human urine be quantitated both quickly and accurately using high resolution mass spectrometry? With Orbitrap HR/AM mass spectrometry, precision doesn’t need to be sacrificed for speed.
Overview: Forensic toxicologists perform analysis of human urine to search for the presence of illegal and controlled substances, including opiates such as morphine or oxycodone. These analyses can play a part in law enforcement decisions; thus it’s critical that test results be highly precise. With a large number of samples to analyze, it’s also important for the process to be speedy and efficient.
Method: Using a Thermo Scientific Q Exactive Focus Hybrid Quadrupole-Orbitrap Mass Spectrometer, six opiates in human urine samples are quantified down to low ng/mL levels. Opiates include morphine, codeine, hydromorphone, hydrocodone, oxymorphone, and oxycodone. The method precision and accuracy were evaluated by running a calibration curve and quintuplicate replicates of quality controls on three different days.
Table 1. Inter-assay precision and bias.
| Codeine | Hydrocodone | Hydromorphone | Morphine | Oxycodone | Oxymorphone | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5ng/mL | % RSD | 3.82 | 3.67 | 3.89 | 7.54 | 2.78 | 3.43 |
| % Bias | -4.11 | 7.20 | 5.28 | 0.18 | -6.19 | -2.04 | |
| 10ng/mL | % RSD | 4.13 | 6.06 | 2.79 | 4.35 | 3.35 | 2.78 |
| % Bias | -7.00 | -3.47 | -0.20 | -6.15 | -5.24 | -3.60 | |
| 100ng/mL | % RSD | 3.00 | 6.13 | 2.03 | 2.28 | 2.58 | 1.62 |
| % Bias | 7.43 | 5.51 | -0.16 | 0.98 | 5.34 | 0.26 | |
| 1000ng/mL | % RSD | 3.63 | 4.21 | 1.35 | 2.52 | 1.99 | 2.29 |
| % Bias | 6.07 | 3.64 | 3.53 | 4.67 | 5.44 | 2.86 | |
Results: The Q Exactive Focus MS accurately quantitated all six opiates tested. The average recovery across 58 donor urine samples obtained from a collaborator laboratory ranged from 69% to 81% for the six internal standards evaluated. The Q Exactive Focus MS is a versatile instrument capable of both screening large panels and quantitative confirmation of specific panels.
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