Human exposures to emerging opioids, which significantly contribute to the ongoing U.S. opioid overdose crisis, can be confirmed through the analysis of clinical samples. We have evaluated a qualitative screening approach using high performance liquid chromatography coupled to high resolution tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC-HRMS/MS) to address emerging opioids using untargeted, data-dependent acquisition. Compound identification was accomplished by searching against a locally-established mass spectral library of emerging opioids and metabolites. Currently, our method can screen for 43 emerging opioids. Plasma and urine samples fortified with emerging opioids were assessed to confirm the capabilities of these HPLC-HRMS/MS methods. Lower reportable limits (LRL<sub>100</sub>), defined as the lowest concentration with 100% true positive rate (n=12) within clinical samples, range from 0.5 ng/mL to 2.5 ng/mL for urine and 0.25 ng/mL to 2.5 ng/mL in plasma for 18 emerging opioids evaluated. The application of HRMS screening methods enables the real-time detection of emerging opioids present in clinical samples.

Identification of emerging opioids in clinical samples using high-resolution tandem mass spectrometry

2019 Fall National Meeting

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