Sensitive and rapid quantification of the cannabinoid receptor agonist naphthalen-1-yl-(1-pentylindol-3-yl)methanone (JWH-018) in human serum by liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry

• Published in: Journal of chromatography. B, Analytical technologies in the biomedical and life sciences Vol. 878; no. 27; pp. 2659 - 2663
• Main Authors: Teske, Jörg, Weller, Jens-Peter, Fieguth, Armin, Rothämel, Thomas, Schulz, Yvonne, Tröger, Hans Dieter
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Netherlands Elsevier B.V 01.10.2010
• Subjects: Calibration; Cannabinoid Receptor Agonists; Chromatography; Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid - methods; Consumption; ESI; Human; Humans; Indoles - blood; Ingredients; JWH-018; LC/MS/MS; Limit of Detection; Liquids; Marijuana Smoking - blood; Mass spectrometry; Naphthalen-1-yl-(1-pentylindol-3-yl)methanone; Naphthalenes - blood; Quality Control; Receptors; Reference Standards; Serums; Spectrometry, Mass, Electrospray Ionization - methods; Spice; Tandem Mass Spectrometry - methods; Spice; ESI; JWH-018; LC/MS/MS; Naphthalen-1-yl-(1-pentylindol-3-yl)methanone
• ISSN: 1570-0232; 1873-376X; 1873-376X
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jchromb.2010.03.016

The current paper describes a validated method for the detection and quantification of naphthalen-1-yl-(1-pentylindol-3-yl)methanone (JWH-018), an ingredient of a herbal mixture called “Spice”, by means of HPLC–ESI–MS–MS in serum. Lower limit of detection and lower limit of quantification were 0.07 and 0.21 ng/ml, respectively. In 2 subjects who consumed ca. 50 μg/kg of JWH-018 by smoking, the active ingredient was detected by means of the described method. Thereby, the serum concentrations reached values of approx. 10 ng/ml and dropped within 3 h very fast (<10% of the measured maximum concentrations).