Matthew K. Griswold, Alex J. Krotulski, Melissa Friscia, Brittany Chapman, Edward W. Boyer, Barry K. Logan, Kavita M. Babu
Journal of Forensic ToxicologyThe continuous abuse of fentanyl and its derived analogue substances continues to be a serious public health and safety problem. Deaths related to overdose following ingestion of fentanyl and its analogues are on the rise, as more of these compounds emerge into the street drug supply [1-2].
Fentanyl analogues are compounds clandestinely synthesized to produce similar psychotropic effects to that of fentanyl. These analogues are often produced with slightly different molecular structures, which makes traditional screening approaches (e.g., Immunoassay or GC/MS) challenging for the investigator. High Resolution Mass Spectrometry (HRMS) provides the forensic examiner a reliable and rapid tool for the analysis of emerging drugs; including opioids, fentanyl, and analogues.
Furthermore, the presence of HRMS in the forensic laboratory is essential to support field authority investigations by providing more complete chemical characterization (e.g., formulae finding, molecular interpretation) of a potential fentanyl analogue found in a forensic seized drug preparation or biological sample.
In this technical note, a non-targeted screening workflow for the identification of novel fentanyl analogues in forensic biological samples is described. The workflow was streamlined using the SCIEX X500R QTOF System in combination with the SCIEX OS Software formula finder feature and ChemSpider database searching.
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