Benzodiazepines are a class of psychoactive substances commonly used as sedatives, hypnotics, and anxiolytics. Due to their potential for abuse and the risk of dependence, they are subject to strict regulatory controls in many countries. In clinical toxicology and forensics, the analytical determination of benzodiazepines is crucial for detecting overdoses or illegal use. Methods for detecting benzodiazepine residues in water are also gaining importance in environmental analysis.
The determination of benzodiazepines in human serum is often performed using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with UV or mass spectrometry detection (LC-MS/MS), as these methods offer high sensitivity and specificity. Sample preparation is required before analysis, typically through liquid-liquid extraction (LLE) or solid-phase extraction (SPE) to minimize interferences.
At the Center for Life Science Automation, a fully automated sample preparation was developed using overpressure solid-phase extraction.
For more information:
Fleischer et al.: Automated Sample Pretreatment and Measurement of Benzodiazepines in Serum using a Biomek i7 Hybrid Workstation and LC-MS/MS. CASE 2022, Mexico City 20.-24.08.2022, 2423-2428
