Determination of cannabinoids in whole blood by UPLC-MS-MS.

An ultra-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS-MS) method was developed and validated for the simultaneous determination of Delta(9)-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), 11-hydroxy-Delta(9)-tetrahydrocannabinol (11-OH-THC), and 11-nor-9-carboxy-Delta(9)-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC-COOH) in whole blood. Samples were prepared by protein precipitation followed by solid-phase extraction. Data were acquired using positive electrospray ionization and multiple reaction monitoring. Two transitions were selected for THC (m/z 315.0 > 193.0 and m/z 315.0 > 122.7) and THC-COOH (m/z 345.0 > 299.0 and m/z 345.0 > 327.0), and one transition was chosen for 11-OH-THC (m/z 331.0 > 313.0). Deuterated analogues of each analyte were used as internal standards for quantification. Run time was 10 min. Limits of quantification (LOQ) were 0.05 ng/mL for THC, 0.1 ng/mL for 11-OH-THC, and 0.2 ng/mL for THC-COOH. Linearity was established from LOQ to 50 ng/mL for each substance (r(2) always > 0.999). Accuracy ranged from 96 to 106%, and imprecision was less than 10% for all analytes. The UPLC-MS-MS method was found to be sensitive, specific, and rapid because it requires no derivatization step. It can be an alternative to gas chromatography-mass spectrometry for the determination of cannabinoids in whole blood.