The 32nd Annual Midwest Section of AOAC INTERNATIONAL

Meeting and Exposition will be taking place the week of June 3rd at the Wisconsin Dells, WI.  Technical specialist Don Shelly will be presenting a workshop, “The Chemistry of SPE”.  This will be a very instructive presentation covering the foundational principles and mechanisms of solid-phase extraction.  Pathways for developing a proper extraction and extract clean-up procedure will be discussed.  And of course, every audience member will walk away knowing what number is the most important number to remember when planning an SPE extraction!

Come join us for an exciting meeting in the heart of Wisconsin at the town dubbed the ‘Waterpark capital of America’

Clean Screen THC

In the area of forensic toxicology, it is well recognized that the analysis of THC and its metabolites is one
of the most frequently requested and challenging to interpret sample tests; especially in urine. Non-psychoactive cannabidiol (CBD) has a wide range of therapeutic applications and may also influence
psychotropic smoked cannabis effects. A sensitive and specific analytical method for CBD in urine
was needed to define urinary CBD pharmacokinetics after controlled CBD administration, and to
confirm compliance with CBD medications such as Sativex. Few methods exist for the quantification
of CBD excretion in urine, and no data are available for phase II metabolism of CBD to CBD-
glucuronide or CBD-sulfate.

A recent report (Analytical and Bioanalytical Chemistry 2013 (405 15: 4679)) from the prestigious National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA, Baltimore MD) authored by Dr. Mateus M. Bergamaschi (working with Dr. Marilyn Huestis’ team at NIDA) optimized the hydrolysis of CBD glucuronide and/or -sulfate, and developed and validated a GC-MS method for urinary CBD quantification. The methodology employed UCT’s Clean Screen® THC (ZSTHC020) solid-phase extraction (SPE) to isolate and concentrate analytes prior to GC-MS. This solid phase sorbent is recognized by forensic toxicology laboratories around the globe as the premier material for THC related analysis.

This is the first method evaluating CBD hydrolysis in urine. The method proved robust, sensitive, and
specific for quantifying total CBD in human urine with a fast and simple sample prep that incorporates
Clean Screen® THC as a key component. This method can be applied for urinary CBD quantification
and further pharmacokinetics characterization following controlled CBD administration. The results
demonstrate UCT’s continued leadership in providing quality products for forensic analysis with its Clean
Screen® line of SPE sorbents.