Authors: YaChing Hsu BudGen Chen ShuChing Yang YuShan Wang ShiaoPing Huang MeiHan Huang TaiJui Chen HsuChun Liu DongLiang Lin Ray H Liu A Wayne Jones
Publish Date: 2012/10/23
Volume: 405, Issue: 12, Pages: 3921-3928
Abstract
Methadone MTD is widely used for detoxification of heroin addicts and also in pain management programs Information about the distribution of methadone between blood plasma and alternative specimens such as oral fluid OF is needed in clinical forensic and traffic medicine when analytical results are interpreted We determined MTD and its metabolite 2ethylidene15dimethyl33diphenylpyrrolidine EDDP in blood plasma blood cells and OF by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry GCMS after adding deuteriumlabeled internal standards The analytical limits of quantitation for MTD and EDDP by this method were 20 and 3 ng/mL respectively The amounts of MTD and EDDP were higher in plasma 804 and 765 compared with blood cells 196 and 235 and we found that repeated washing of blood cells with phosphate–buffered saline increased the amounts in plasma 936 and 886 Mean plasma/blood concentration ratios of MTD and EDDP in spiked samples N = 5 were 127 and 121 respectively In clinical samples from patients N = 46 the concentrations of MTD in plasma and whole blood were highly correlated r = 092 p 0001 and mean median plasma/blood distribution ratios were 143 141 The correlations between MTD in OF and plasma r = 046 and OF and blood r = 052 were also statistically significant p 0001 and the mean OF/plasma and OF/blood distribution ratios were 055 and 077 respectively The MTD concentration in OF decreased as salivary pH increased more basic These results will prove useful in clinical and forensic medicine when MTD concentrations in alternative specimens are compared and contrasted
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