Chromatographic analysis of cocaine and tetrahydrocannabinol analytes in meconium samples

• Grant number: 13/13079-4
• Support type: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Effective date (Start): November 01, 2013
• Effective date (End): October 31, 2014
• Field of knowledge: Health Sciences - Pharmacy - Toxicological Analysis
• Principal Investigator: Mauricio Yonamine
• Grantee: Guilherme Forster
• Home Institution: Faculdade de Ciências Farmacêuticas (FCF). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil

Abstract

The consumption of illicit drugs of abuse is a relevant public health problem,especially regarding to its use during gestation. Adverse outcomes such as low birth weight,intra-uterine growth restriction, preterm birth, neonatal abstinence, neurobehavioral anddevelopmental effects are associated with alcohol, tobacco and illicit drug use duringpregnancy. It would be of great importance to obtain data concerning drug misuse duringpregnancy to proper medical and psychological interventions. Self-report drug use bypregnant women is very significant; however the data are often underestimated due to fear ofpunitive actions. Therefore, confirmation by toxicological analysis of biological matricesmust be accomplished. Meconium, the first stool of the newborn, has been proposed as asuitable matrix to evaluate fetal exposure to drugs of abuse. Although, meconium is acomplex matrix, which requires extensive sample cleaning previously to the analytesidentification. In this context, the aim of the present research is to develop an analyticalmethod for the identification of tetrahydrocannabinol biomarkers using accelerated solventextraction. This technique allows minor sample handling, has greater efficiency whencompared with conventional techniques, beyond the smaller demand of solvents and morepractical application. The identification and quantification of the analytes will be performedby gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). The developed method will be appliedin meconium samples from newborns with suspicion of fetal cannabinoid exposure, obtainedfrom the University Hospital of São Paulo-USP, Brazil.

Scientific publications

(References retrieved automatically from Web of Science and SciELO through information on FAPESP grants and their corresponding numbers as mentioned in the publications by the authors)

MANTOVANI, CINTHIA DE CARVALHO; PEREIRA E SILVA, JEFFERSON; FORSTER, GUILHERME; DE ALMEIDA, RAFAEL MENCK; DE ALBUQUERQUE DINIZ, EDNA MARIA; YONAMINE, MAURICIO. Simultaneous accelerated solvent extraction and hydrolysis of 11-nor-Delta(9)-tetrahydrocannabino1-9-carboxylic acid glucuronide in meconium samples for gas. chromatography-mass spectrometry analysis. JOURNAL OF CHROMATOGRAPHY B-ANALYTICAL TECHNOLOGIES IN THE BIOMEDICAL AND LIFE SCIENCES, v. 1074, p. 1-7, FEB 1 2018. Web of Science Citations: 4.