[Analysis on opioid compounds in the hair of heroin addicts with LC-MS/MS]
Objective To evaluate the effects of washing process on hair samples from heroin addicts, and compare the extracting method of enzymatic digestion with homogenization of hair samples. Methods After washing samples for 3.15 h, a mild enzymatic digestion procedure at pH 6.6 and a buffer incubating procedure in water bath at 48 degrees C during 18h was used. The samples were pre-treated by solid phase extraction using mixed mode sorbent columns (MCX Oasis). Quantitative analysis of morphine, codeine, 6-acetylmorphine, heroin, acetylcodeine by chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry method was developed. Results Heroin accounted for 21.82% of the total equivalents of morphine. The ratio of morphine to 6-MAM in enzymatic digestion hair samples was 0.9875 and that in homogenized hair samples was 0.3948. Conclusion The results suggested that the procedures were not sufficient to remove the contaminants penetrating into hair from external sources.