Evidence abounds that LSD continues to be a significant drug of abuse. Unfortunately, existing GC/MS tests for LSD are generally unable to detect the drug in urine for more than a few hours after ingestion. Consequently, there is a critical need for development of a more sensitive confirmation assay. We will develop such an assay through use of a tandem mass spectrometer (Finnigan MAT TSQ-70). Research will include investigation of methods for extraction of LSD and its metabolites, derivatization, sample introduction into the tandem mass spectrometer, and methods of ionization and mass analysis. Urine samples fortified with known concentrations of LSD and one of itsmetabolites, N-demethyl LSD, as well as submitted urine specimens that have tested positive for LSD by a radioimmunoassay, will be analyzed in order to determine the new assay's limit of quantitation, precision, accuracy, and dynamic range.Awardee's statement of the potential commercial applications of the research:All three military services have expressed a strong interest in contracting with Northwest Toxicology to perform testing for LSD in urine from servicemen, if we can develop a su fficiently sensitive confirmation assay for LSD and/or its metabolite. In addition, frequent requests are made by non-military sources to perform analyses for LSD in physiological specimens. No other laboratory, to our knowledge, offers a LSD confirmation assay that has the sensitivity needed for effective detection of LSD users.
Thesaurus Terms: diagnosis design /evaluation, drug abuse, lysergic acid diethylamide, mass spectrometry, urinalysis drug metabolism, toxicology gas chromatography, human clinical subject, radioimmunoassay National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)
