Quantification of Delta9-tetrahydrocannabinol and its major metabolites in meconium by gas chromatographic-mass spectrometric assay: assay validation and preliminary results of the "meconium project"

Ther Drug Monit. 2006 Oct;28(5):700-6. doi: 10.1097/01.ftd.0000245380.95186.13.

Abstract

A rapid and simple procedure based on gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) is described for determination of Delta-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), 11-hydroxy-Delta-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC-OH) and 11-nor-Delta-tetrahydrocannabinol-9-carboxylic acid (THC-COOH) in meconium using Delta-tetrahydrocannabinol (Delta-THC) and deuterated THC-COOH as internal standards. The biological matrix was subjected to liquid-liquid extraction after enzyme hydrolysis for conjugated analytes.Chromatography was performed on a fused silica capillary column and analytes were determined in the selected-ion-monitoring (SIM) mode. The method was validated in the range 20 to 500 microg/g using 1g of meconium per assay. The method was applied to the analysis of meconium in a cohort of newborns to assess eventual fetal exposure to cannabis. Within positive samples, THC-COOH and THC-OH (range: 33.7 to 182.1 and 20.7 to 493.3 microg/g, respectively) were both present in the majority of cases with only 1 specimen with THC-OH as the most abundant metabolite and 2 with THC only.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Dronabinol / analysis
  • Dronabinol / metabolism*
  • Female
  • Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry / methods*
  • Humans
  • Infant, Newborn
  • Maternal-Fetal Exchange
  • Meconium / chemistry*
  • Pregnancy
  • Reproducibility of Results

Substances

  • Dronabinol