Simultaneous gas chromatographic determination of methamphetamine, amphetamine and their p-hydroxylated metabolites in plasma and urine

J Chromatogr B Biomed Sci Appl. 1997 Mar 7;690(1-2):77-87. doi: 10.1016/s0378-4347(96)00361-1.

Abstract

We report a method for the simultaneous determination of methamphetamine, amphetamine and their hydroxylated metabolites in plasma and urine samples using a GC-NPD system. The analytical procedures are: (1) adjust the sample to pH 11.5 with bicarbonate buffer, saturate with NaCl and extract with acetate; (2) back-extract the amines in the ethyl acetate fraction with 0.1 M HCl; (3) adjust the pH of the acid fraction to 11.5 and follow by extraction in ethyl acetate; (4) reduce the volume of ethyl acetate under nitrogen and derivatize the concentrate with trifluoroacetic anhydride or heptafluorobutyric anhydride before the GC analysis. The derivatives were separated on a GC-NPD system equipped with a HP-5 column of 25 m x 0.32 m I.D. and a 0.52 micron film of 5% phenylmethylsilicone. The detection limit (taking a signal-to-noise ratio of 2) of heptafluorobutyl derivatives of methamphetamine and its metabolites in plasma and the trifluoroacetyl derivatives in urine was 1 ng/ml (22 pg on column). The limit of quantitation of the heptafluorobutyl derivatives in the plasma was 1 ng/ml (22 pg on column), and that of the trifluoroacetyl derivatives in urine was 20 ng/ml (73 pg on column). The between-day variation was from 0.9 to 17.4% and within-day variation from 0.9 to 8.3%. This method was used successfully in the quantitative determination of methamphetamine and its p-hydroxylated metabolites in the plasma and urine of human subjects.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
  • Research Support, U.S. Gov't, P.H.S.

MeSH terms

  • Amphetamine / blood*
  • Amphetamine / metabolism
  • Amphetamine / urine*
  • Central Nervous System Stimulants / blood*
  • Central Nervous System Stimulants / metabolism
  • Central Nervous System Stimulants / urine*
  • Chromatography, Gas
  • Humans
  • Hydroxylation
  • Methamphetamine / blood*
  • Methamphetamine / metabolism
  • Methamphetamine / urine*
  • Reproducibility of Results
  • Sensitivity and Specificity

Substances

  • Central Nervous System Stimulants
  • Methamphetamine
  • Amphetamine