![handle is hein.journals/injlegame105 and id is 1 raw text is: Int J Leg Med (1992) 105:1-4
International Journal of
Legal Medicine
© Springer-Verlag 1992
Review article
Detection of drugs in human hair for clinical and forensic applications
P. Kintz, A. Tracqui, and P. Mangin
Institut de Medecine L6gale, 11 rue Humann, F-67000 Strasbourg, France
Received September 2, 1991 / Received in revised form January 29, 1992
Summary. While hair has for sometime been analyzed
for assessment of trace elements, it is only in recent years
that attention has been focused on this matrix as a possi-
ble means of evaluating drug impregnation. This tech-
nique was applied to treated subjects and drug abusers
for determination of drug consummation. The method
involved decontamination in ethanol, solubilization in
sodium hydroxide at 100°C for 10min, extraction in chlo-
roform/isopropanol/n-heptane (50:17:33, v/v), separa-
tion on a BP-5 capillary column (GC) and detection by
mass spectrometry. Hair samples were analysed for bar-
biturates, antidepressants, benzodiazepines, 3-blockers,
nicotine, opiates, benzoylecgonine, cannabis and am-
phetamines.
Key words: Hair analysis - Chronic drug use - GC/MS
Zusammenfassung. Die schon lange zum Nachweis von
Schwermetallvergiftungen angewendete Haaranalyse wird
seit einigen Jahren auch zum Nachweis des DrogenmiB-
brauchs eingesetzt. - Die hier beschriebene Methode
wurde fur die Untersuchung von Haarproben von mit
den entsprechenden Arzneistoffen behandelten Patien-
ten und von Drogenabhangigen eingesetzt. Dazu wer-
den die zuvor mit Ethanol gewaschenen Haare in 1 N
Natronlauge (100°C) gelkst und mit Chloroform/Isopro-
panol/n-Heptan (50/17/33; v/v/v) extrahiert. Nach gas-
chromatographischer Trennung an einer BP-5-Kapillare
wurden die Substanzen massenspektrometrisch detektiert.
Es wurden Barbiturate, Antidepressiva, Benzodiazepine,
Betablocker, Nicotin, Opiate, Benzoylecgonin, Canna-
bis und Amphetamine nachgewiesen.
Schlisselworter: Haaranalyse - DrogenmiBbrauch - GC/
MS
Introduction
Although it has been a long time since the evidence first
appeared in the literature, only recently has particular
Correspondence to: P. Kintz
attention been devoted to the use of hair as a sample for
detection of illicit drugs.
Morphine for example, can be detected in biological
fluids only within a few days of heroin intake, and the
morphine levels determined are strongly influenced by
the dose and the time of the last injection. In contrast,
hair appears to be a particularly interesting substrate for
the investigation of chronic drug abuse. Drugs pass from
the body fluids into the hair and remain firmly bound. It
is therefore possible, depending on hair length, to trace
the drug intake of an addict over periods longer than 6
months.
Radioimmunoassay, fluorescence polarization, liquid
chromatography and gas chromatography coupled to mass
spectrometry have been used to identify and quantify
opiates, phencyclidine, phenobarbital, amphetamines,
methadone, cocaine, marijuana, digoxin, haloperidol,
nicotine and antidepressants [1-16].
This paper presents the results obtained from drug
analysis in hair during a 2 year period at the Forensic In-
stitute of Strasbourg, France.
Materials and methods
Hair samples consisting of 30-40 strands and weighing at least 50
mg, were cut as close as possible to the scalp on the back of the
head. The hair was decontaminated by washing in 5 ml ethanol for
15 min at 37 C. The protein matrix of the hair was destroyed by in-
cubation in 1ml 1 M NaOH for 10 min at 100*C and neutralized
with HCl after cooling and centrifugation.
3-blockers were extracted with 3 ml ether/dichloromethane
(80:20, v/v) in the presence of 25 1 oxprenolol (25 mg/l) as inter-
nal standard. After agitation and centrifugation, the organic phase
was purified with 200 1 0.1 N H2SO4. After shaking and centrifu-
gation, the acidic layer was removed and 140 l injected into a 10
m RSil CN (Alltech, 300 mm x 4.1 mm i.d.) column. The mobile
phase consisted of water, acetonitrile, and 0.1 M buffered NaH2PO4
solution (60:30:10, v/v) adjusted to pH 3.0. The flow rate was
1.0 ml/min and the detection was carried out at 215 nm. Betaxolol
was not confirmed by GC/MS.
Benzodiazepines, barbiturates, antidepressants, fenfluramine
and nicotine were extracted with 5 ml chloroform/isopropanol/n-
heptane (50:17:33, v/v) after suitable pH adjustment and addition
of 20 1 SKF 525 A (10 mg/1) as an internal standard. After agita-
tion and centrifugation, the organic phase was evaporated to dry-
ness. Opiates, benzoylecgonine, cannabis and amphetamine were](ViewImageLocal?handle=hein.journals/injlegame105&div=1&collection=&method=preview&ext=.png&size=3)
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