Determination of synthetic cannabinoids in oral fluids by liquid chromatography with fluorescence detection after solid-phase extraction

Synthetic cannabinoids are one of the most consumed new psychoactive substances, being absolutely necessary the development of analytical methodologies for the determination of these substances in biological fluids. In this study, a liquid chromatography with fluorescence detection (LC-FD) method has been developed for the analysis of 8 synthetic cannabinoids in oral fluids. The method has been validated in terms of linearity, precision and extraction recoveries, giving limits of detection as low as 0.7 & mu;g L - 1 , and limits of quantification of 2.6 & mu;g L - 1 . Different silica and polymeric commercial solid sorbents such as C18, Supel-Select HLB, EB2 Extrabond RO and SampliQ-OPT were tested, concluding that Supel-Select HLB provided quantitative recoveries for the extraction of synthetic cannabinoids in oral fluids. & BULL; Analysis of synthetic cannabinoids in oral fluids. & BULL; Analytical procedure based on liquid chromatography with fluorescence detection. & BULL; Sample treatment based on solid phase extraction with HLB cartridges.

Automated summary

This study developed a liquid chromatography with fluorescence detection (LC-FD) method for analyzing 8 synthetic cannabinoids in oral fluids. The method was validated for linearity, precision, and extraction recoveries, with detection limits as low as 0.7 μg/L and quantification limits of 2.6 μg/L. Supel-Select HLB solid phase extraction cartridges provided quantitative recoveries for the extraction of synthetic cannabinoids in oral fluids.