DETECTION OF DRUGS IN A BLOODSTAIN - 1 DIPHENYLHYDANTOIN

• NCJ Number: 51791
• Journal: Journal of Forensic Sciences Volume: 23 Issue: 4 Dated: (OCTOBER 1978) Pages: 701-706
• Author(s): R C SHALER; F P SMITH; C E MORTIMER
• Date Published: 1978
• Length: 6 pages
• Corporate Author: American Acad of Forensic Sciences
• Sale Source: Aerospace Corporation
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America
• Note: PRESENTED AT THE 29TH ANNUAL MEETING OF THE AMERICAN ACADEMY OF FORENSIC SCIENCES, SAN DIEGO, CALIF., FEBRUARY 1977

Annotation

A RADIOIMMUNOASSAY TECHNIQUE WHICH SUCCESSFULLY ISOLATED DIPHENYLHYDANTOIN (DPH) FROM DRIED BLOODSTAINS, SALIVA, SEMEN, AND DRIED SALIVA STAINS IS DESCRIBED. ITS USE TO IDENTIFY OTHER DRUGS IN BODY FLUIDS IS DISCUSSED.

Abstract

THE DRUG USED IN THESE EXPERIMENTS IS GENERALLY LIMITED TO THE TREATMENT OF EPILEPSY. HOWEVER, THE PRINCIPLES DESCRIBED CAN BE USED TO DETECT OTHER DRUGS IN BLOOD AND BODY FLUIDS. THESE EXPERIMENTS TESTED THE ABILITY OF RADIOIMMUNOASSAY TO DETECT DPH IN SAMPLES OF WHOLE BLOOD, BLOOD PLASMA, RED BLOOD CELLS, DRIED BLOODSTAINS 1 WEEK OLD, DRIED BLOODSTAINS 6 MONTHS OLD, FRESH SALIVA AND SEMEN SAMPLES, AND SALIVA STAINS COLLECTED ON A CIGARETTE FILTER, PROVIDED BY AN INDIVIDUAL TAKING DILANTIN. THE TECHNIQUE IS EXPLAINED IN DETAIL, INCLUDING SAMPLE PREPARATION AND ELUTION BY DETERGENTS. CHARTS AND GRAPHS PRESENT THE LABORATORY RESULTS. RADIOIMMUNOASSAY PROVED EXTREMELY SENSITIVE, DETECTING DPH CONCENTRATIONS AS LOW AS 50 PICOGRAMS PER MILLILITER OF BLOOD. ALMOST AS MUCH DPH WAS DETECTED IN THE 6-MONTH OLD STAIN AS IN THE FRESH BLOODSTAIN. ALTHOUGH THERE IS SIGNIFICANTLY LESS DRUG CONCENTRATION IN SALIVA AND SEMINAL FLUID, THE DPH WAS RELIABLY DETECTED IN 0.9 MICROLITER OF UNDILUTED SAMPLE. TO MAKE THE TECHNIQUE MORE EFFECTIVE, THE RESEARCH TESTED METHODS FOR EXTRACTING GREATER QUANTITIES OF THE DRUG FROM STAINS WITH GREATER EFFICIENCY AND SHORTER INCUBATION TIMES. IT WAS FOUND THAT THE NONIONIC DETERGENT TRITON X-100 EXTRACTED ABOUT 80 PERCENT OF THE DRUG AT 1 HOUR OF INCUBATION, WHILE THE ANIONIC SODIUM DODECYL SULFATE (SDS) DETERGENT EXTRACTED 100 PERCENT OF THE AVAILABLE DRUG AT 1-HOUR OF INCUBATION. THE SALIVA STAINS ON THE CIGARETTE FILTER WERE SUCCESSFULLY EXTRACTED WITH SDS DETERGENT. INTERESTINGLY, THE FILTER YIELDED MORE THAN THE OUTSIDE FILTER PAPER. THE PRINCIPLE OF RADIOIMMUNOASSAY IS EXPLAINED. THE POSSIBILITIES OF THIS TECHNIQUE FOR FORENSIC SCIENCE ARE DISCUSSED. REFERENCES ARE INCLUDED. (GLR)