Identification of cannabimimetics MDMB(N)-022 in urine using SPE AND GG-MS

The relevance of research. In recent years cannabimimetic MDMB(N)-022 spreads throughout the world. Appearance of new potentially dangerous psychoactive substances makes it necessary to develop methods of their determination in biological fluids in toxicological and forensic chemistry research. Purpose of this work is to examine possibility of isolation of MDMB(N)-022 metabolites from urine, using cartridges with a mixed sorbent C8/SAX and identification of received biotransformation products by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry method. Materials and methods. During sample preparation we used enzymatic hydrolysis with p-glucuronidase (Type HP-2, From Helix Pomatia, 100000 U/ml), solid-phase extraction with a mixed sorbent C8/SAX cartridges to isolate first phase metabolites in 11 urine samples and subsequent procedure of derivatization. Recieved derivatives were examined in gas chromatograph Agilent 7820 equipped with mass-spectrometric detector Agilent 5975 (Agilent, USA).). Results. The possibility to use cartridges for SPE with a mixed sorbent C8/SAX to screening tests of urine for the presence of metabolites of cannabimimetics MDMB(N)-022 was shown. The main biotransformation directions of MDMB(N)-022 where defined. They include hydrolysis of ester bonds with following conjugation with glucuronic acid, hydrolysis of amide linkage, N-dealkylation of alkyl radical at nitrogen atom of indazole cycle, oxidative carboxylation of alkyl chain, hydroxylation and dihydrodiol metabolite formation. An analytic characteristics of main MDMB(N)-022 metabolites and their derivatives received by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry were given.