A Dilute-and-Shoot LC-MS Method for Quantitating Opioids in Oral Fluid

Opioid testing represents a dominant share of the market in pain management clinical testing facilities. Testing of this drug class in oral fluid (OF) has begun to rise in popularity. OF analysis has traditionally required extensive clean-up protocols and sample concentration, which can be avoided. This work highlights the use of a fast, 'dilute-and-shoot' method that performs no considerable sample manipulation. A quantitative method for the determination of eight common opioids and associated metabolites (codeine, morphine, hydrocodone, hydromorphone, norhydrocodone, oxycodone, noroxycodone and oxymorphone) in OF is described herein. OF sample is diluted 10-fold in methanol/water and then analyzed using an Agilent chromatographic stack coupled with an AB SCIEX 4500. The method has a 2.2-min LC gradient and a cycle time of 2.9 min. In contrast to most published methods of this particular type, this method uses no sample clean-up or concentration and has a considerably faster LC gradient, making it ideal for very high-throughput laboratories. Importantly, the method requires only 100 μL of sample and is diluted 10-fold prior to injection to help with instrument viability. Baseline separation of all isobaric opioids listed above was achieved on a phenyl-hexyl column. The validated calibration range for this method is 2.5-1,000 ng/mL. This 'dilute-and-shoot' method removes the unnecessary, costly and time-consuming extraction steps found in traditional methods and still surpasses all analytical requirements.