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Analysis of cannabinoids in oral fluid by liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry

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Abstract

A sensitive method was developed for quantifying a wide range of cannabinoids in oral fluid (OF) by liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry (LC–MS/MS). These cannabinoids include ∆9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), 11-hydroxy-∆9-tetrahydrocannabinol (11-OH-THC), 11-nor-9-carboxy-∆9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THCCOOH), cannabinol (CBN), cannabidiol (CBD), ∆9-tetrahydrocannabinolic acid A (THC-A), 11-nor-9-carboxy-∆9-tetrahydrocannabinol glucuronide (THCCOOH-gluc), and ∆9-tetrahydrocannabinol glucuronide (THC-gluc). Samples were collected using a Quantisal™ device. The advantages of performing a liquid–liquid extraction (LLE) of KCl-saturated OF using heptane/ethyl acetate versus a solid-phase extraction (SPE) using HLB copolymer columns were determined. Chromatographic separation was achieved in 11.5 min on a Kinetex™ column packed with 2.6-μm core–shell particles. Both positive (THC, 11-OH-THC, CBN, and CBD) and negative (THCCOOH, THC-gluc, THCCOOH-gluc, and THC-A) electrospray ionization modes were employed with multiple reaction monitoring using a high-end AB Sciex API 5000™ triple quadrupole LC–MS/MS system. Unlike SPE, LLE failed to extract THC-gluc and THCCOOH-gluc. However, the LLE method was more sensitive for the detection of THCCOOH than the SPE method, wherein the limit of detection (LOD) and limit of quantification (LOQ) decreased from 100 to 50 pg/ml and from 500 to 80 pg/ml, respectively. The two extraction methods were successfully applied to OF samples collected from volunteers before and after they smoked a homemade cannabis joint. High levels of THC were measured soon after smoking, in addition to significant amounts of THC-A. Other cannabinoids were found in low concentrations. Glucuronide conjugate levels were lower than the method’s LOD for most samples. Incubation studies suggest that glucuronides could be enzymatically degraded by glucuronidase prior to OF collection.

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Acknowledgments

The authors thank the Swiss National Science Foundation (FNS_320030_127507/1) and the Faculty of Biology and Medicine (interdisciplinary grant) at the University of Lausanne for their financial support.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Forensic Toxicology and Chemistry Unit, University Center of Legal Medicine, Rue du Bugnon 21, 1011, Lausanne, Switzerland

    Marie Fabritius, Christian Staub & Christian Giroud

  2. Unit of Forensic Medicine, University Center of Legal Medicine, Rue du Bugnon 21, 1011, Lausanne, Switzerland

    Patrice Mangin

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  1. Marie Fabritius
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Correspondence to Christian Giroud.

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Fabritius, M., Staub, C., Mangin, P. et al. Analysis of cannabinoids in oral fluid by liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry. Forensic Toxicol 31, 151–163 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11419-012-0168-z

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