Hyphenated mass spectrometric techniques-indispensable tools in clinical and forensic toxicology and in doping control

J Mass Spectrom. 2006 Nov;41(11):1399-413
Maurer HH.
Department of Experimental and Clinical Toxicology, Institute of Experimental and Clinical Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Saarland, D-66421 Homburg (Saar), Germany.
PubMed ID & Record: 17051522

Hyphenated mass spectrometric techniques, particularly gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) and liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry (LC/MS), are indispensable tools in clinical and forensic toxicology and in doping control owing to their high sensitivity and specificity. They are used for screening, library-assisted identification and quantification of drugs, poisons and their metabolites, prerequisites for competent expertise in these fields. In addition, they allow the study of metabolism of new drugs or poisons as a basis for developing screening procedures in biological matrices, most notably in urine, or toxicological risk assessment. Concepts and procedures using GC/MS and LC/MS techniques in the areas of analytical toxicology and the role of mass spectral libraries are presented and discussed in this feature article. Finally, perspectives of their future position are discussed.