Simultaneous Determination of Cocaine, Cocaethylene, and Their Possible Pentafluoropropylated Metabolites and Pyrolysis Products
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DOT/FAA/AM-03/24 Simultaneous Determination of Cocaine, Office of Aerospace Medicine Cocaethylene, and Their Possible Washington, DC 20591 Pentafluoropropylated Metabolites and Pyrolysis Products by Gas Chromatography/Mass Spectrometry Patrick S. Cardona Arvind K. Chaturvedi John W. Soper Dennis V. Canfield Civil Aerospace Medical Institute Federal Aviation Administration Oklahoma City, OK 73125 December 2003 Final Report This document is available to the public through the National Technical Information Service, Springfield, VA 22161. NOTICE This document is disseminated under the sponsorship of the U.S. Department of Transportation in the interest of information exchange. The United States Government assumes no liability for the contents thereof. Technical Report Documentation Page 1. Report No. 2. Government Accession No. 3. Recipient's Catalog No. DOT/FAA/AM-03/24 4. Title and Subtitle 5. Report Date Simultaneous Determination of Cocaine, Cocaethylene, and Their December 2003 Possible Pentafluoropropylated Metabolites and Pyrolysis Products by 6. Performing Organization Code Gas Chromatography/Mass Spectrometry 7. Author(s) 8. Performing Organization Report No. Cardona PS, Chaturvedi AK, Soper JW, Canfield DV 9. Performing Organization Name and Address 10. Work Unit No. (TRAIS) FAA Civil Aerospace Medical Institute P.O. Box 25082 11. Contract or Grant No. Oklahoma City, OK 73125 12. Sponsoring Agency Name and Address 13. Type of Report and Period Covered Office of Aerospace Medicine Federal Aviation Administration 800 Independence Ave., S.W. Washington, DC 20591 14. Sponsoring Agency Code 15. Supplemental Notes This work was accomplished under the approved tasks AM-B-98-TOX-202, AM-B-99-TOX-202, AM-B-00- TOX-202, AM-B-01-TOX-202, AM-B-02-TOX-202, and AM-B-03-TOX-202. 16. Abstract During the investigations of fatal transportation accidents, samples from victims are also analyzed for drugs, including cocaine (COC). COC is abused by smoking, nasal insufflantion, and intravenous injection, and it is also taken with ethanol. Therefore, it is important to determine concentrations of COC and its metabolites, ethanol analogs, and pyrolysis products for establishing the degree of toxicity, the possible ingestion of ethanol, and the possible route of administration. In this study, a sensitive and selective procedure is developed for the simultaneous analyses of COC, benzoylecgonine, norbenzoylecgonine, norcocaine, ecgonine, ecgonine methyl ester, m-hydroxybenzoylecgonine, anhydroecgonine methyl ester (AEME), anhydroecgonine (AECG), cocaethylene, norcocaethylene, and ecgonine ethyl ester in blood, urine, and muscle homogenate. In the analysis, available deuterated analogs of these analytes were used as internal standards. Proteins from blood and muscle homogenate were precipitated with cold acetonitrile. After the removal of acetonitrile by evaporation, the supernatants and urine were extracted by solid-phase chromatography. The eluted analytes were converted to hydrochloride salts and derivatized with pentafluoropropionic anhydride and 2,2,3,3,3-pentafluoro-1-propanol. The derivatized products were analyzed on a gas chromatograph (GC)/mass spectrometer system by selected ion monitoring. This method was successfully applied in analyzing 13 case specimens from aviation accident pilot fatalities and/or motor vehicle operators. AEME concentrations found in the 13 specimens were consistent with those produced solely by the GC inlet pyrolysis of COC controls, suggesting that COC was not abused in these cases by smoking. Although AEME remains a potential marker for establishing the abuse of COC by smoking, AECG was not a useful marker because of its low recovery and GC inlet production from COC metabolites. The developed procedure is unique because multiple analytes can be analyzed in urine, blood, and solid tissues by a single extraction with increased sensitivity through formation of hydrochloride salts and using a one-step derivatization. 17. Key Words 18. Distribution Statement Forensic Sciences, Toxicology, Cocaine, Metabolites, Document is available to the public through the Pyrolysis Products, Analysis, Gas Chromatography/ National Technical Information Service Mass Spectrometry Springfield, Virginia 22161 19. Security Classif. (of this report) 20. Security Classif. (of this page) 21. No. of Pages 22. Price Unclassified Unclassified 19 Form DOT F 1700.7 (8-72) Reproduction of completed page authorized i LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS AECG _ _ _ _ _ _ _ anhydroecgonine AEME _ _ _ _ _ _ _ anhydroecgonine methyl ester BEG _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ benzoylecgonine BEG-D3 _ _ _ _ _ _ _ benzoylecgonine-D3 CAMI _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Civil Aerospace Medical Institute COE _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ cocaethylene COE-D3 _ _ _ _ _ _ _ cocaethylene-D3 COC _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ cocaine COC-D3 _ _ _ _ _ _ _ cocaine-D3 CYP _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ cytochrome P-450 ECG _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ ecgonine EEE _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ ecgonine ethyl ester EME _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ ecgonine methyl ester EME-D3 _ _ _ _ _ _ _ ecgonine methyl ester-D3 FAA _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Federal Aviation Administration GC/MS _ _ _ _ _ _ _ gas chromatograph/mass spectrometer HBEG _ _ _ _ _ _ _ m-hydroxybenzoylecgonine LOD _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ limit of detection LOQ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ limit of quanititation NBEG _ _ _ _ _ _ _ norbenzoylecgonine NCOE _ _ _ _ _ _ _ norcocaethylene NCOC _ _ _ _ _ _ _ norcocaine NCOC-D3 _ _ _ _ _ _ norcocaine-D3 OSBI _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation PFP _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ pentafluoropropylated PFPA _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ pentafluoropropionic anhydride PFPOH _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 2,2,3,3,3-pentafluoro-1-propanol SIM _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ selected ion monitoring SPE _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ solid phase extraction. iii SIMULTANEOUS DETERMINATION OF COCAINE, COCAETHYLENE, AND THEIR POSSIBLE PENTAFLUOROPROPYLATED METABOLITES AND PYROLYSIS PRODUCTS BY GAS CHROMATOGRAPHY/MASS SPECTROMETRY INTRODUCTION conversion of COC into EME and BEG (Fig. 1). Even The Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA’s) Civil in water, at pH values greater than neutrality, COC is Aerospace Medical Institute (CAMI) is involved in the readily hydrolyzed to BEG. Cholinesterases in blood toxicological evaluation of samples collected from victims hydrolyze COC into EME, but this enzymatic reaction involved in fatal transportation accidents. During the may be inhibited by freezing or by the addition of fluoride investigations of such accidents, those biological samples or cholinesterase inhibitors (9, 10, 11). A considerable are analyzed for the presence of combustion gases (car- amount of time may often pass before postmortem speci- bon monoxide and hydrogen cyanide), alcohol and other mens are collected, chemically preserved, and refriger- volatiles, and drugs, including cocaine (COC). COC, a ated. Such a delay may possibly cause the conversion of popular drug of abuse, is consumed by smoking, nasal all or some COC and COE into EME, BEG, and/or insufflation, and intravenous injection (1). COC is also EEE. Therefore, concentrations of COC, COE, EME, often taken in conjunction with ethanol, generating a BEG, other possible metabolites, and pyrolysis products transesterification product, cocaethylene (COE; 2). This in biological samples could be helpful in estimating the COC analog has pharmacological activities similar to total amount of COC present in those samples at the COC and may modestly prolong the COC-like effects time of their collection and/or at the time of an accident (3). In recreational use, smoking may be the preferred and/or death. Furthermore, the concentrations of COE, route of ingestion of COC because its effects are immedi- NCOE, and EEE may indicate concurrent use of COC ate and intense. Furthermore, such effects are achieved and ethanol, and the concentration of AEME may assist without having to deal with needles and syringes, thereby in establishing whether COC was smoked or taken by minimizing the risk of contracting bloodborne diseases. other routes. Free-base COC (crack) is generally associated with smok- Numerous analytical methods for COC, COE, their ing (1, 4, 5), while its salt form may be associated with metabolites, and other related products are reported in the other routes of administration. literature (5, 7, 12, 13), but these methods involve mul- Peak COC concentrations in blood usually occur tiple extraction and/or derivatization procedures and/or 30–60 min after nasal insufflation and within minutes have not been shown to detect all the COC and possible after smoking or intravenous injection ingestion (6). related analytes in multiple specimen types. Although the COC is rapidly inactivated by the hydrolysis of its ester pyrolytic product of COC, AEME, has been analyzed groups, producing benzoylecgonine (BEG), ecgonine in blood, serum, and urine (5, 7, 12, 13), it has been methyl ester (EME), and possibly ecgonine (ECG; Fig. demonstrated that COC can thermally degrade during 1). COC is further biotransformed by the cytochrome gas chromatography, particularly at high injector port P-450 (CYP) enzyme system to norcocaine (NCOC), and temperatures (8, 14). BEG to norbenzoylecgonine (NBEG) and m-hydroxyben- In the present study, a selective and sensitive method, zoylecgonine (HBEG). Smoking produces the pyrolysis involving a single extraction and derivatization, was de- product anhydroecgonine methyl ester (AEME; 7, 8), veloped to simultaneously analyze COC, COE, their me- which could be further hydrolyzed to anhydroecgonine tabolites and pyrolysis products, and related compounds (AECG). Furthermore, COE is metabolized into norco- by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry in blood, urine, caethylene (NCOE) and hydrolyzed into ecgonine ethyl and solid tissues. Attempts were also made to establish ester (EEE), which could also be biosynthesized from EME a relationship between the concentration of COC and in the presence of ethanol.