Method validation of a tricyclic antidepressant drug panel in urine by UPLC-MS/MS

Tricyclic antidepressant (TCA) drugs are also used as adjunctive therapy to treat chronic pain. To monitor patient compliance to therapy, urine specimens may be preferred since collection is non-invasive, and the specimen can provide a longer detection window. TCA drugs are frequently monitored by immunoassay; however, poor antibody specificity may compromise results. The purpose for this study was to develop a confirmation method for determining TCA in urine specimens by ultra-pressure liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS). Our method can quantify 9 TCA drugs in less than 5 min. Method validation experiments were performed, and the coefficient variation for inter- and intra-day precision was within 12% for each analyte at five different concentrations. Accuracy studies had good agreement with another laboratory that performs testing by GC/MS.

Highlights: 1. Tricyclic antidepressants are commonly used to treat depression, anxiety, and neuropathic pain. 2. A confirmation method by ultra-pressure liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS) to determine TCA in urine specimens was developed. 3. Urine testing for TCA is preferred for monitoring adherence to therapy due to ease of collection.