Date of Award
Spring 6-2026
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Science (MS)
Department/Program
Forensic Science
Language
English
First Advisor or Mentor
Marta Concheiro-Guisan
Second Reader
Gail Cooper
Third Advisor
Damon Borg
Abstract
The analysis of drugs in brain tissue plays an important role in forensic toxicology, particularly in postmortem investigations where traditional matrices such as urine or blood may be limited or subject to postmortem redistribution. However, the complex composition of brain tissue presents significant analytical challenges, often requiring extensive sample preparation procedures. This study aimed to develop a simplified, rapid and efficient method for targeted screening of 86 drugs in brain tissue using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) combined with crash and shoot (protein-precipitation-based) extraction procedure followed by filtration. Multiple extraction parameters were evaluated, including solvent volume and temperature, injection volume, filter types, reconstitution solution volume, vortex time, centrifugation and filtration steps to optimize analyte recovery and chromatographic performance. The developed method used 100 µL of brain matrix homogenate for sample preparation. The limit of detection for analytes ranged from 0.1 to 10 ng/mL for opioids, 1.0 to 20 ng/mL for anesthetics, 2 ng/mL for hallucinogens, 5 ng/mL for benzodiazepines and synthetic cathinones, 5.0 and 25 ng/mL for cocaine and metabolites, 20 ng/mL for amines, 150 to 500 ng/mL for anticonvulsants, and 400 ng/mL for barbiturates. The method was compared with previously published analytical approaches for brain tissue, which commonly involve multi-step extraction procedures, targeted drug panels, or complex workflows. In contrast, the proposed method provides a simple, fast and easy alternative, enabling simultaneous screening of a large number of compounds while minimizing sample preparation.
Recommended Citation
Mahnoor, Fnu, "Method Development of a Crash and Shoot Targeted Screening for 86 Drugs in Brain Tissues by Liquid Chromatography-Tandem Mass Spectrometry (LC-MS/MS)" (2026). CUNY Academic Works.
https://academicworks.cuny.edu/jj_etds/390
