Development of a preparation method to produce a single sample that can be applied to both LC-MS/MS and GC-MS for the screening of postmortem specimens

Abstract

Simple and efficient extraction methods have been developed for the screening of a wide array of drugs in postmortem autopsy specimens. Acidic and basic compounds were targeted with two extraction methods that can be applied to both GC-MS and LC-MS/MS instrumentation. The extractions were achieved by utilizing lipid-removal and solid-phase extraction cartridges while carefully monitoring the pH of the samples to ensure the adequate removal of interfering substances like lipids and amino acid derivatives. These methods were applied to actual autopsy cases, with 94 and 124 compounds detected by GC-MS and LC-MS/MS, respectively. The developed methods could easily be incorporated into a forensic laboratory's daily routine for screening many different compounds from postmortem samples.

Keywords: Forensic autopsy; GC–MS; LC–MS/MS; Sample preparation; Toxicological screening.