Rapid quantitative analysis of methylphenidate and ritalinic acid in oral fluid by liquid chromatography triple quadrupole mass spectrometry (LC-QqQ-MS)

Methylphenidate (MPH), which is metabolized into ritalinic acid (RA), is an amphetamine derivative largely used in the treatment of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, a neurological condition commonly diagnosed in early childhood. Ensuring that patients comply with clinical treatment is crucial and compliance is generally monitored in blood or urine specimens which, especially in the case of children, can be challenging to obtain on a repetitive basis. Here we report validation of a specific, non-invasive, and rapid dilute-and-shoot analytical method for the detection and quantitation of MPH and RA in oral fluid (OF). The method is based on liquid chromatography coupled to triple quadrupole MS with electrospray ionization utilizing dynamic MRM mode. Subject OF specimens were collected using a Quantisal™ device, processed, and diluted for analysis with seven-point quadratic calibration curves (weighting of 1/x) using MPH-d9 and (±)-threo-RA-d10 as internal standards. QC samples and diluted specimens showed intra- and inter-day bias and imprecision values no greater than ±12%. The LOD and LOQ for MPH were 0.1 and 0.5 ng/mL, respectively, and 0.2 ng/mL and 0.5 ng/mL for RA, respectively, indicating the validity of the method for identification and confirmation at low concentrations. Selectivity was specific for the analytes of interest and matrix effects were minimized through the use of internal standard based quantitation.