Simultaneous determination of Δ 9-tetrahydrocannabinol and 11-nor-9-carboxy-Δ 9-tetrahydrocannabinol in oral fluid using isotope dilution liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry

The detection and confirmation of cannabinoids in oral fluid are important in forensic toxicology. Currently, the presence of Δ 9- tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) is used for the detection of cannabis in oral fluid. A low concentration of 11-nor-9-carboxy-Δ 9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC-COOH) is found in oral fluid, which suggested a convenient and low-sensitivity confirmation assay can be used in a routine forensic laboratory. In this study, a highly sensitive isotope dilution liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry method following dansylation was successfully developed for simultaneous determination of THC and THC-COOH in oral fluid. The dansylated derivatives dramatically demonstrated and enhanced the sensitivity of THC and THC-COOH. To avoid signal influenced by the matrix, a 5-min liquid chromatography gradient program was evaluated and optimized, which reduced the sample diffusion and caused sharp peaks (less than 12 s) and thus helped to achieve detection at a low level. The sensitivity, accuracy, and precision were also evaluated, and high quantitative accuracy and precision were obtained. The limit of quantitation of this approach was 25 pg/mL for THC and 10 pg/mL for THC-COOH in oral fluid. Finally, the method was successfully applied to eight suspected cannabis users. Among them, in six oral fluid samples THC-COOH was determined at a concentration from 13.1 to 47.2 pg/mL.