Application of direct-infusion ESI–MS/MS for toxicological screening

Abstract

Background: Direct-infusion ESI–MS/MS is a powerful approach for the identification of substances in complex mixtures. The aim of this work was to investigate its applicability to the toxicological screening of blood samples. A simple protein precipitation was used, followed by a 15 min infusion of the extract in the mass spectrometer. Results: The application of the procedure to commercial quality controls and authentic post-mortem blood samples demonstrated that the direct-infusion ESI–MS/MS approach enables the simultaneous identification of substances that require different chromatographic conditions. However, poor sensitivity was observed for benzodiazepine, amphetamines and opiate compounds. Conclusion: Considering the facile implementation and positive performance of direct-infusion ESI–MS/MS, this approach may to be a valuable complementary technique for systematic toxicological analysis procedures.