Hexanol-Based Supramolecular Solvents Tool for the Determination of 11 Illicit Phenethylamines in Oral Fluid by LC-MS/MS

Abstract

Monitoring of new phenethylamine designer drugs in oral fluid (OF) is a crucial aim in workplace testing and driving under the influence of drug programs. In this study a simple and very quick method for the quantification of 11 illicit drugs in OF, which gave negative results to immunoassay tests, is proposed. Sample treatment and extraction of analytes were simultaneously achieved by applying supramolecular solvents (SUPRAS) tool. Chromatographic separation and compounds quantification were carried out by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) analysis. Efficacy of cleaning-up/extraction of this SUPRAS approach was fully confirmed by recovery and matrix effect results. The entire analytical procedure was validated following the international guidelines. The SUPRAS extraction coupled with LC-MS/MS resulted in powerful tool for the control of phenethylamines abuse, with rapid run time and minimal sample preparation. The use of this methodology could be easily extended to monitoring of other drugs of abuse.