A Rapid and Robust Sample Preparation Method for Quantitation of Nicotine from Oral Fluid

Nicotine, its metabolite cotinine, and anabasine, a tobacco alkaloid, are often used to detect tobacco exposure. For tests like this, oral fluid collection has emerged as an alternative to other biological matrices. The additives and preservative buffer (critical for preservation of the chemical integrity of the oral fluid sample) present in the collection devices, must be removed for the proper upkeep of the mass spec detector. This technical note presents a solid phase extraction (SPE) method for simultaneous detection and quantitation of nicotine, cotinine, and anabasine from oral fluid.