Identification of selected psychopharmaceuticals and their metabolites in hair by LC/ESI-CID/MS and LC/MS/MS

• Published in: Forensic science international Vol. 113; no. 1; pp. 415 - 421
• Main Authors: Müller, Claudia, Vogt, Susanne, Goerke, Rolf, Kordon, Andreas, Weinmann, Wolfgang
• Format: Journal Article Conference Proceeding
• Language: English
• Published: Kidlington Elsevier Ireland Ltd 11.09.2000; Elsevier; Elsevier Limited
• Subjects: Analysis; Antidepressants; Antidepressive Agents, Second-Generation - analysis; Antidepressive Agents, Second-Generation - chemistry; Antidepressive Agents, Second-Generation - metabolism; Antipsychotic Agents - analysis; Antipsychotic Agents - chemistry; Antipsychotic Agents - metabolism; Antipsychotics; Autopsy - methods; Biological and medical sciences; Butyrophenones - analysis; Butyrophenones - chemistry; Butyrophenones - metabolism; Calibration; Cause of Death; Chromatography, Liquid - methods; Citalopram; Databases, Factual; Drug dosages; Electrospray ionisation; Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry - methods; General pharmacology; Hair; Hair - chemistry; Hair analysis; Humans; LCMS; Libraries; Maprotiline; Maprotiline - analysis; Maprotiline - chemistry; Maprotiline - metabolism; Mass spectra; Mass spectrometry; Mass spectroscopy; Medical sciences; Metabolites; Pharmaceuticals; Pharmacology. Drug treatments; Pipamperone; Psychiatry; Scientific imaging; Searching; Serotonin; Serotonin uptake inhibitors; Solid phases; Solvents; Spectrometry, Mass, Secondary Ion - methods; Substance Abuse Detection - methods; Suicide; Toxicology - methods; Pipamperone; Electrospray ionisation; Hair analysis; Maprotiline; LCMS; Citalopram; Human; Collision induced spectrum; Metabolite; Coupled method; Neuroleptic; Psychotropic; Spraying; Liquid chromatography; Electrospray; Biological material; Hair (head); Electric field; Mass spectrometry MS/MS; Antidepressant agent; Qualitative analysis; Quantitative analysis
• ISSN: 0379-0738; 1872-6283
• DOI: 10.1016/S0379-0738(00)00202-4

Hair samples of patients of psychiatry and hair samples of suicide cases were analysed by liquid-chromatography/ionspray-mass spectrometry (LC/MS) for antidepressants and neuroleptics. Electrospray ionisation (ESI) with in-source collision induced dissociation (ESI/CID) and tandem-mass spectrometry (MS/MS) were used for drug and metabolite identification. Mass spectra library searching was performed using an ESI/CID mass spectra library and a MS/MS spectra library. Furthermore, extracted ion chromatograms were used for the detection of N-desmethyl-metabolites, which were also identified by their fragment-ion spectra. Three examples using these methods are shown: The tricyclic antidepressant maprotiline, the selective serotonin receptor inhibitor (SSRI) citalopram and their desmethylmetabolites as well as the neuroleptic pipamperone were detected and identified in hair extracts. For extraction powdered hair was treated by ultrasonication in methanol and solid-phase extraction was used for sample clean-up prior to LC/MS or MS/MS analysis. These examples demonstrate the power of LC/MS and LC/MS/MS for the detection and identification of drugs in hair extracts using full-scan mode and ESI/CID with library searching or using highly selective LC/MS/MS-analysis with library searching or in multiple reaction monitoring mode.