TITLE:
Doping Control Analysis of 16 Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs in Equine Plasma Using Liquid Chromatography-Tandem Mass Spectrometry
AUTHORS:
Youwen You, Cornelius E. Uboh, Fuyu Guan, Lawrence R. Soma
KEYWORDS:
Equine Plasma, Doping Control, Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs, Liquid
JOURNAL NAME:
American Journal of Analytical Chemistry,
Vol.5 No.17,
December
11,
2014
ABSTRACT: Non-steroidal
anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are classified as Class 4 agents by the
Association of Racing Commissioners International and are banned in racehorses
during competition in Pennsylvania (PA). To control the abuse of these agents
in racehorses competing in PA, a forensic method for screening and confirmation
of the presence of these agents is needed. Equine plasma (0.5 mL) was acidified
with 75 μL 1M H3PO4 to increase recovery of the analytes
by liquid-liquid extraction using methyl tert-butyl ether (MTBE).
Extracted analytes were separated by reversed-phase liquid chromatography
using a C8 column under gradient condition. All 16 analytes were
detected, quantified and confirmed using a triple quadrupole tandem mass
spectrometry with selected reaction monitoring (SRM) in both negative and
positive electrospray ionization modes. The limit of detection, quantification
and confirmation of the analytes were 1.0 - 5.0 ng/mL, 1.0 - 5.0 ng/mL and 1.0 -
20 ng/mL, respectively. The linear dynamic range of quantification was 5.0 - 200
ng/mL. The method is routinely used in anti-doping analysis to control the
abuse of NSAIDs in racehorses competing in PA.