Development of a microextraction by packed sorbent (MEPS) method to analysis of synthetic opioids in urine samples

• Grant number: 17/24515-0
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: March 01, 2018
• End date: February 28, 2019
• Field of knowledge: Health Sciences - Pharmacy - Toxicological Analysis
• Principal Investigator: José Luiz da Costa
• Grantee: Leonardo Costalonga Rodrigues
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Ciências Farmacêuticas (FCF). Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP). Campinas , SP, Brazil
• Associated research grant: 17/02147-0 - Single drop chromatography and its coupling to mass spectrometry: instrumental strategies, development of materials, automation and analytical applications, AP.TEM

Abstract

Fentanyl is a synthetic analgesic, with restricted use at hospitals in Brazil, commonly used to induce and maintain anesthesia and sedation. In rare cases, it could be prescribed to patients with chronic pain (transdermal patches). It is a high potency drug, up to 80 times more potent than morphine. As a drug of abuse, the most common forms of use of fentanyl (and its derivatives) are ingestion of blotter paper (similar to LSD) or inhalation of the powder. The significant increase in the number of users and, consequently, individuals who became addicted, were hospitalized or even death by overdose, leads the scientific community to treat this problem as "the opioid crisis". Miniaturized sample preparation techniques, such as microextraction by packed sorbent (MEPS), have been used in analytical toxicology laboratories. MEPS allows automated or semi-automated sample preparation, with small solvent and sample consuming. The aim of this work is to optimize the extraction parameters and to full validate a semi-automated method for the analysis of fentanyl and its analogues (acetylfentanyl, valerylfentanyl, thiofentanil, acrylentanthyl, furanylfentanyl and carfentanil) by MEPS and gas chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry (GC-MS/MS). The developed method can be used for laboratory diagnosis of intoxications caused by these toxic agents. (AU)

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)

DA CUNHA, KELLY FRANCISCO; RODRIGUES, LEONARDO COSTALONGA; HUESTIS, MARILYN A.; COSTA, JOSE LUIZ. Miniaturized extraction method for analysis of synthetic opioids in urine by microextraction with packed sorbent and liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. Journal of Chromatography A, v. 1624, AUG 2 2020. (17/02147-0, 18/11849-0, 17/24515-0, 18/00432-1)