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Published:
Journal of Analytical Toxicology,
ISSN 0146-4760,
Volume 25, Number 7, October, pp. 490-496
Effect of Four Laboratory Decontamination Procedures on
the Quantitative Determination of Cocaine and Metabolites in Hair by HPLC–MS
Ryan B. Paulsen[1], Diana G. Wilkins[2], Matthew
H. Slawson[2], Kimberly Shaw[2], and Douglas E. Rollins[2]
[1]Department of Medicinal Chemistry and [2]Center for Human Toxicology, Department
of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah 84112
The testing for drugs of abuse in hair is increasingly used to
detect illicit substances. Laboratories have implemented various decontamination,
or washing, procedures in order to eliminate concerns regarding potential contamination
of the hair with drug from the environment. However, the effect of these decontamination
procedures on drug incorporated into the hair shaft via systemic exposure is
unknown. This study evaluated the effect of four simple laboratory wash procedures
on the quantitative measurement of cocaine and its metabolites in hair from
rats administered cocaine by intraperitoneal injection. Washes included (1)
methanol only; (2) 0.1M phosphate buffer, pH 6.0; (3) 0.1M phosphate buffer,
pH 8.0; and (4) isopropanol and phosphate buffer, pH 5.5. Cocaine and its major
metabolites, benzoylecgonine, norcocaine, ecgonine methyl ester, and cocaethylene,
were analyzed using high-performance liquid chromatography coupled to atmospheric
pressure electrospray ionization mass spectrometry. All four washes resulted
in significant differences from unwashed hair controls (p £ 0.05) for
some or all of the detectable analytes. Because different wash procedures lead
to significant differences in the measured concentrations of analytes in hair
known to contain drug, quantitative data must be interpreted cautiously based
on the wash procedures employed.
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