Drug abuse; Drug testing; GHB; Hair; Method validation; Sodium Oxybate; Female; Forensic Toxicology/methods; Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry; Hair/chemistry; Healthy Volunteers; Humans; Male; Reproducibility of Results; Sodium Oxybate/analysis; Solid Phase Extraction; Substance Abuse Detection/methods; Substance-Related Disorders/diagnosis; Forensic Toxicology; Substance Abuse Detection; Substance-Related Disorders; Pathology and Forensic Medicine; Law
Abstract :
[en] Gamma-hydroxybutyric acid (GHB) is a short-chain fatty acid used recreationally as a drug of abuse due its strong suppressive effect on the central nervous system. The detection window of GHB in blood and urine is very narrow (t1/2=30min) but can be substantially prolonged using alternative matrices such as hair. We here present a newly developed and limited validated method with a solid phase extraction (SPE) using GC-MS/MS to determine concentrations of GHB in hair samples. The soft extraction technique (water and 90min ultrasonic bath) preserves GHB with a high yield and clean extracts. In addition, endogenous GHB can be detected in hair of non-GHB users. However, little is known about GHB concentrations in hair of abstinent, frequent and chronic GHB users. Therefore, we present data from hair samples of healthy volunteers to evaluate the proposed endogenous GHB ranges, and from GHB-dependent patients to address GHB concentrations in hair with GHB intake. In 20 non-GHB users, a mean endogenous concentration of 1.1±0.6ng/mg hair (range of 0.3-2ng/mg) was found. In GHB-dependent patients, concentrations between 6.3-239.6ng/mg hair were found, with no correlation between concentrations in hair and dose of GHB intake. In summary, we present a new and limited validated method, adequately sensitive for the detection of GHB in hair, as well as first-time measurements of GHB concentrations in dependent patients in order to better understand the relationship between the frequency of use/dose and concentrations observed in hair samples.
Disciplines :
Chemistry
Author, co-author :
Van Elsué, Nicolas; Toxicological Center, Antwerp University, Antwerp, Belgium. Electronic address: nicovanelsue@gmail.com
Verbrugge, Cor A; Novadic-Kentron, Network for Addiction Treatment Services, Vught, The Netherlands
van Baarle, Kim; Novadic-Kentron, Network for Addiction Treatment Services, Vught, The Netherlands
Rodrigues, Anaïs ; Université de Liège - ULiège > Molecular Systems (MolSys) ; Laboratoire National de Santé, Service de Toxicologie, Dudelange, Luxembourg
Neels, Hugo; Toxicological Center, Antwerp University, Antwerp, Belgium
Yegles, Michel; Laboratoire National de Santé, Service de Toxicologie, Dudelange, Luxembourg
Language :
English
Title :
Gammahydroxybutyrate in hair of non-GHB and repeated GHB users: A new and optimized method.
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