Determination of naphthalen-1-yl-(1-pentylindol-3-yl)methanone (JWH-018) in mouse blood and tissue after inhalation exposure to buzz smoke by HPLCMSMS.
The disposition of the cannabimimetic naphthalen-1-yl-(1-pentylindol-3-yl)methanone (JWH-018) in mice following inhalation of the smoke of the herbal incense product (HIP) Buzz is presented. A high-pressure liquid chromatography with electrospray ionization triple quadrupole mass spectrometer (HPLCMSMS) method was validated for the analysis of JWH-018 in the specimens using deuterated Δ(9) -tetrahydrocannabinol (d(3) -THC) as the internal standard. JWH-018 was isolated by cold acetonitrile liquid-liquid extraction. Chromatographic separation was performed on a Zorbaz eclipse XDB-C(18) column. The assay was linear from 1 to 1000 ngmL. Six C57BL6 mice were sacrificed 20 min after exposure to the smoke of 200 mg Buzz containing 5.4% JWH-018. Specimen concentrations of JWH-018 were blood, 54-166 ngmL (mean 82 ± 42 ngmL) brain, 316-708 ngg (mean 510 ± 166 ngg) and liver, 1370-3220 ngmL (mean 1990 ± 752 ngmL). The mean blood to brain ratio for JWH-018 was 6.8 and ranged from 4.2 to 10.9. After exposure, the responses of the mice were consistent with cannabinoid receptor type 1 activity body temperatures dropped 7.3 ± 1.1 °C, and catalepsy, hyperreflexia, straub tail and ptosis were observed. The brain concentrations and physiological responses are consistent with the hypothesis that the behavioral effects of Buzz are attributable to JWH-018.