Problems of Forensic Sciences 2005 Vol. 62 (LXII) 166-177
POSSIBILITIES OF USING SALIVA FOR TESTING DRIVERS FOR ESTAZOLAM, DOXEPIN, AND PROMAZINE
Ewa CHUDZIKIEWICZ1, Piotr ADAMOWICZ1, Maria KAŁA1, Wojciech LECHOWICZ1, Ewa PUFAL2, Marzena SYKUTERA2, Karol ŚLIWKA2
1Institute of Forensic Research, Krakow
2Chair and Department of Forensic Medicine, Collegium Medicum, Nicolaus Copernicus University, Bydgoszcz
Streszczenie
The aim of the study was to demonstrate the usefulness of saliva as a material for determining the presence in the organism of medicines affecting the psychomotor efficiency of drivers. The research material was blood and saliva samples collected from 50 volunteers, who were given successively, per os, a single dose of estazolam, doxepin, and promazine at therapeutic concentrations (1, 50 and 50 mg respectively). The samples were collected 1, 2, and 3 hours, and in the case of estazolam, 4 hours after drug administration. Analytes were extracted using liquid-liquid extraction and determined by high performance liquid chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry operating in atmospheric pressure chemical ionisation mode (HPLC-MS-APCI). Validated methods have a limit of detection (LOD) and quantitation (LOQ) expressed in ng/ml for estazolam: 0.5 and 1.0; for doxepin 0.1 and 0.5; and for promazine 0.2 and 1.0 respectively. The determined concentrations of estazolam and doxepin in saliva were significantly lower than in blood, but higher in the case of promazine. Mean values of blood/saliva concentration ratios determined at the following sampling points: at 1, 2, 3 (and 4 for estazolam) hours after administration were as follows – for estazolam: 7.1; 11.5; 11.5 and 12.6; for doxepin: 2.9; 2.0 and 1.1 and for promazine: 0.02; 0.14 and 0.13. Correlation coefficients (R) of drug concentrations in blood and saliva were: 0.734 and 0.339 for estazolam (n = 161) and doxepin (n = 134), and 0.104 for promazine (n = 102). The conducted research showed that saliva may be a useful material for detection of estazolam, doxepin and promazine after oral administration at single therapeutic doses. Ascertainment of estazolam and doxepin in saliva may be a marker for the presence of these compounds in blood and hence in the organism.
Słowa kluczowe
Estazolam; Doxepin; Promazine; Saliva.