Rapid detection of 10 benzodiazepines and metabolites in blood and urine using DART‐MS/MS

• Published in: Drug testing and analysis 2024-08, Vol.16 (8), p.817-826
• Main Authors: Liu, Fubang, Zhang, Ying, Wang, Jifen, Ji, Jiahua
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: benzodiazepine; Benzodiazepines; Benzodiazepines - blood; Benzodiazepines - urine; blood; DART‐MS/MS; Forensic Toxicology - methods; Humans; Hypnotics and Sedatives - blood; Hypnotics and Sedatives - urine; Limit of Detection; Liquid-Liquid Extraction - methods; Mass spectrometry; Metabolites; Reproducibility of Results; Scientific imaging; Substance Abuse Detection - methods; Tandem Mass Spectrometry - methods; Urine
• ISSN: 1942-7603; 1942-7611; 1942-7611
• DOI: 10.1002/dta.3576

Benzodiazepines are essential screening targets for common sleeping and sedative drugs used in forensic toxicology. Direct analysis in real‐time tandem mass spectrometry was used to rapidly identify 10 benzodiazepines and related metabolites in the blood and urine. The related direct analysis in real‐time tandem mass spectrometry parameters were optimized. A liquid–liquid extraction method using ethyl acetate as the extraction solvent was used for sample preparation. The established method was validated and tested on case specimens. The limits of detection of this method ranged from 0.2 to 20 ng/mL and the limits of quantification from 1 to 50 ng/mL. The recoveries ranged from 78.8% to 114%, and the matrix effects were in the range of −21.2% to 17.9%. The precision and repeatability at high and medium concentrations did not exceed 14.6%, and the limit of quantification did not exceed 18.2%, indicating a desirable linear relationship. The established method was used to determine blood and urine specimens from authentic cases, and promising results were obtained. An efficient DART‐MS/MS method for the detection of 10 BZDs and metabolites in blood and urine was developed and validated. The method was applied to specimens from authentic cases, enabling rapid and accurate qualification and quantification of case specimens.