A comparison of extraction techniques for fentanyl analogues in whole blood
By Biotage
Fentanyl and fentanyl-related analogues have been identified as the root cause of several notable mass-overdose events in recent years. The demand for testing of these drugs has rapidly increased due to the opioid epidemic affecting many cities across the United States and Canada. Whole blood is a common sample matrix for forensic laboratories as this can be easy to collect and may provide relevant information regarding recent or active use of illicit materials. Obtaining optimal analytical results from whole blood requires adequate sample preparation to remove endogenous interferences and to isolate compounds of interest. Several options exist for effective preparation of whole blood, each with their own merits. Some may involve minimal effort, such as the load-wait-elute technique using supported liquid extraction (SLE+), while others may require more complex methodologies, such as solid phase extraction (SPE) with mixed-mode ion exchange sorbents. Each method of sample preparation will yield extracts of different levels of cleanliness. The results of different extraction techniques for whole blood spiked with 16 fentanyl analogues was collected via LCMS/
MS and compared to identify practical considerations for optimal workflows.
Literature number: P212
