Screening for Opioid and Stimulant Exposure in utero via Targeted and Untargeted Metabolomics Analysis of Umbilical Cords.

BACKGROUND: Neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS) is an array of signs and symptoms experienced by a newborn due to abrupt discontinuation of intrauterine exposure to certain drugs, primarily opioids. In the United States, the incidence of NAS has tripled over the last decade. Current standard of care for drug testing includes the analysis of infant urine and meconium. Sample collection is associated with several limitations, including diaper media interferences, limited sample amount, sample heterogeneity, and the need for professional staff for collection. Umbilical cord tissue has emerged as a convenient sample matrix for testing owing to its universal availability. The purpose of this study was to examine umbilical cords using an untargeted metabolomics approach to determine the detected drugs and validate an analytical method to confirm and quantify the identified drugs. METHODS: A metabolomics analysis was performed with 21 umbilical cords to screen for drugs and drug metabolites by liquid chromatography mass spectrometry (LC/MS). Drugs were identified using the NIST database and an analytical method was developed and validated using a secondary LC/MS instrument for positive confirmation and quantitative analysis. RESULTS: Twenty-one random umbilical cords from women were tested: four were positive for cocaine and the primary and secondary metabolites; one was positive for methadone, the primary metabolite; three were positive for cotinine, the metabolite of nicotine; and five were positive for acetyl norfentanyl. CONCLUSIONS: Our research is a prospective method development study using untargeted and targeted approaches to characterize steady-state drug metabolite levels in the umbilical cord matrix at the time of delivery. By characterizing drug type and concentration, this methodology can be utilized to develop a reliable complementary testing method for meconium toxicology screens.