Oral detection test for cannabinoid use

• US 7,977,107 B2
• Filed: 10/01/2010
• Issued: 07/12/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 11/03/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Labone Incorporated (Quest Diagnostics Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Labone Incorporated (Quest Diagnostics Incorporated)
• Inventors: Day, David, Kuntz, David J., Feldman, Michael S.
• Primary Examiner(s): WALLENHORST, MAUREEN
• Application Number:
  US12/896,792
• Publication Number:
  US 20110020945A1
• Time in Patent Office: 284 Days
• Field of Search: 436/63, 436/161, 436/173, 436/169, 436/93, 436/901, 210/656, 250/281, 250/282, 250/283
• US Class Current: 436/93
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 33/948 Sedatives, e.g. cannabinoids, barbiturates opiates G01N33/9486
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 436/901 Drugs of abuse, e.g. narcotics, amphetamine
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 436/142222 Hetero-O [e.g., ascorbic acid, etc.]
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 436/24 Nuclear magnetic resonance, electron spin resonance or other spin effects or mass spectrometry

Abstract

A method for confirming the active intake of marijuana and its active component Δ⁹-tetrahydrocannabinol (“Δ⁹-THC”) by detecting the amount of 11-nor-Δ⁹-THC carboxylic acid (“THCA”) in oral fluid at the picogram per milliliter (pg/ml) level using chromatography/mass spectrometry/mass spectrometry (“GC/MS/MS”).

Claims

1. A method for quantifying the amount of 11-nor-Δ

⁹-THC carboxylic acid (“

THCA”

) in a sample comprising the steps of;

providing a sample suspected of containing THCA;

treating said sample with pentafluoropropionic anhydride;

ionizing treated THCA from the sample under conditions suitable to produce one or more ions detectable by mass spectrometry, wherein said one or more ions comprises a parent ion with a mass to charge ratio (m/z) of 620.5;

determining the amount of said one or more ions by tandem mass spectrometry; and

using the amount of said one or more ions to determine the amount of THCA in the sample.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising subjecting the treated THCA to gas chromatography (GC) prior to ionization.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein said ionizing comprises negative chemical ionization.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein said one or more ions detectable by tandem mass spectrometry further comprise one or more fragment ions selected from the group of ions with mass to charge ratio (m/z) of 492 and 383.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising purifying THCA in the sample by solid phase extraction to generate a purified sample prior to treating with pentafluoropropionic anhydride.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein said one or more ions detectable by tandem mass spectrometry further comprise one or more fragment ions selected from the group of ions with mass to charge ratio (m/z) of 492 and 383.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the amount of THCA detected in said sample is less than about 240 pg/ml.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein said sample is an oral fluid sample.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein said oral fluid sample is obtained from a test subject using a collection pad which is placed in the oral cavity of said test subject.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein said pad is impregnated with one or more of a preservative, protein binding blocking agent, or detergent.

11. The method of claim 9, further comprising the step of storing the oral fluid sample in a preservative solution prior to said treating step.

12. The method of claim 9, further comprising the step of extracting THCA and/or THCA-glucuronide from the collection pad using one or more organic reagents.

13. The method of claim 9, further comprising the step of extracting THCA and/or THCA-glucuronide from the pad using an aqueous reagent mixture.

14. The method of claim 8, further comprising purifying THCA in the sample by solid phase extraction to generate a purified sample prior to treating with pentafluoropropionic anhydride.