MECONIUM AS A BIOLOGICAL MATRIX FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF AN ANALYTICAL METHOD FOR THE DETECTION OF DRUG OF ABUSE USING GC-MS

• Grant number: 23/10938-8
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Effective date (Start): January 01, 2024
• Effective date (End): December 31, 2024
• Field of knowledge: Physical Sciences and Mathematics - Chemistry - Analytical Chemistry
• Principal Investigator: Bruno Spinosa de Martinis
• Grantee: Sara Emanuele Silva dos Santos
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Filosofia, Ciências e Letras de Ribeirão Preto (FFCLRP). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Ribeirão Preto , SP, Brazil

Abstract

In recent days, the consumption of drugs of abuse by women of reproductive age has shown an increase. This inclination can be related to several factors, such as domestic violence, psychological problems, self-esteem, professional pressures, financial vulnerability, family breakdown and health problems.The consequences of drug use during pregnancy for the newborn may involve neonatal abstinence syndrome, respiratory disorders, feeding difficulties and late development. Therefore, the identification of drugs of abuse used during the gestational period assumes significant importance, in order to allow an adequate treatment of the newborn after delivery.Meconium - a biological matrix that is easy to collect, non-invasive and simple to store - is composed of the accumulation of metabolic waste and substances ingested by the fetus throughout pregnancy, making it a unique window for the retrospective identification of exposure to drugs. This characteristic allows for more comprehensive analyzes regarding the history of drug use during the gestational period.In the meantime, the project consists of developing a method for extracting drugs of abuse from meconium and subsequent qualitative identification of the main drugs found in meconium samples from newborns, collected at Hospital das Clínicas da Faculdade de Medicina de Ribeirão Preto (HCFMRP- USP), using the technique of gas chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry, using a urine sample from the mother as screening.