LC-MS-MS Method Development and Analysis of Stimulants, Opiates, Synthetic Opiates, PCP, and Benzodiazepines in Wastewater. Preponderance of these Drugs During Football Games

Waseem Gul; Shahbaz W Gul; Brandon Stamper; Murrell Godfrey; Mahmoud A ElSohly

doi:10.1007/978-1-4939-8579-1_15

LC-MS-MS Method Development and Analysis of Stimulants, Opiates, Synthetic Opiates, PCP, and Benzodiazepines in Wastewater. Preponderance of these Drugs During Football Games

Methods Mol Biol. 2018:1810:149-182. doi: 10.1007/978-1-4939-8579-1_15.

Authors

Waseem Gul^{1

2}, Shahbaz W Gul¹, Brandon Stamper^{1

3}, Murrell Godfrey³, Mahmoud A ElSohly^{4

5

6}

Affiliations

¹ ElSohly Laboratories, Inc., Oxford, MS, USA.
² National Center for Natural Products Research, University of Mississippi, University, MS, USA.
³ Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Mississippi, University, MS, USA.
⁴ ElSohly Laboratories, Inc., Oxford, MS, USA. elsohly@elsohly.com.
⁵ National Center for Natural Products Research, University of Mississippi, University, MS, USA. elsohly@elsohly.com.
⁶ Department of Pharmaceutics and Drug Delivery, University of Mississippi, University, MS, USA. elsohly@elsohly.com.

PMID: 29974427
DOI: 10.1007/978-1-4939-8579-1_15

Abstract

A method was developed for the analysis of stimulant drugs, opiates, synthetic opiates, PCP, and benzodiazepines in wastewater samples using liquid chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS-MS). A total of 33 compounds (stimulant-type drugs and metabolites of opiates, synthetic opiates, PCP, and benzodiazepines) were analyzed. These drugs included amphetamine (Amp) (1), methamphetamine (Meth) (2), methylenedioxyamphetamine (MDA) (3), methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) (4), methylenedioxyethylamphetamine (MDEA) (5), benzoylecgonine (BE, the major metabolite of Coc) (6), cocaine (Coc) (7), 6-monoacetylmorphine (6-MAM, the primary urinary metabolite of heroin) (8), codeine (9), hydrocodone (10), hydromorphone (11), morphine (12), norhydrocodone (the primary urinary metabolite of hydrocodone) (13), oxycodone (14), oxymorphone (15), 2-ethylidine-1,5-dimethyl-3,3-diphenylpyrolidine (EDDP, the primary urinary metabolite of methadone) (16), fentanyl (17), meperidine (18), methadone (19), norfentanyl (the primary urinary metabolite of fentanyl) (20), normeperidine (the primary urinary metabolite of meperidine) (21), phencyclidine (PCP) (22), tramadol (23), alprazolam (24), temazepam (25), nordiazepam (26), chlordiazepoxide (27), flurazepam (28), oxazepam (29), α-OH-alprazolam (the primary urinary metabolite of alprazolam) (30), α-OH-triazolam (the primary urinary metabolite of triazolam) (31), 2-OH-ethylflurazepam (the primary urinary metabolite of flurazepam) (32), and 7-NH₂-flunitrazepam (the primary urinary metabolite of flunitrazepam) (33). These drugs were chosen because of their widespread abuse. Wastewater samples were collected at both the Oxford Wastewater Treatment Plant in Oxford, Mississippi (MS), and the University Wastewater Treatment Plant in University, MS. Samples were collected on weekends on which the Ole Miss Rebel football team held home games (Vaught-Hemingway Stadium, University, MS 38677). The collected samples were analyzed using a validated method and found to contain Amp, Meth, MDMA, MDA, Coc, BE, codeine, hydrocodone, hydromorphone, morphine, norhydrocodone, oxycodone, oxymorphone, tramadol, EDDP, meperidine, normeperidine, methadone, alprazolam, α-OH-alprazolam, nordiazepam, oxazepam, and temazepam. None of the samples contained MDEA, 6-MAM, fentanyl, norfentanyl, PCP, chlordiazepoxide, flurazepam, 2-OH-ethylflurazepam, 7-NH₂-flunitrazepam, and α-OH-triazolam.

Keywords: Benzodiazepines; LC-MS/MS; Opiates; Stimulant drugs; Wastewater.

MeSH terms

Benzodiazepines / analysis*
Central Nervous System Stimulants / analysis*
Chromatography, Liquid*
Data Analysis
Humans
Opiate Alkaloids / analysis*
Reproducibility of Results
Sensitivity and Specificity
Substance Abuse Detection* / methods
Substance-Related Disorders / epidemiology*
Tandem Mass Spectrometry*
Wastewater / analysis*

Substances

Central Nervous System Stimulants
Opiate Alkaloids
Waste Water
Benzodiazepines