Capture and analysis of amphetamine-like stimulants in exhaled breath using functionalized cotton fibers

MAA-MSA functionalized cotton fibers enabled efficient capture of ATS from exhaled breath. • The proposed UHPLC–MS/MS method achieved sensitive detection with an LOQ of 100 pg/pad. • Methamphetamine and amphetamine were successfully monitored in rat breath for up to 5 h. • A low-cost functionalized cotton fiber was developed for capture of amphetamine-type stimulants from exhaled breath. Breath analysis has gained attention as a non-invasive method for drug abuse detection, offering convenience and efficiency compared to traditional blood and urine testing, which often involves invasive sampling and raises privacy concerns. Breath samples provide an advantageous alternative however, the application of breath analysis in drug enforcement is challenged by the rapid loss of breath samples during collection and the ultra-low concentrations of analytes, both of which complicate effective sampling and sensitive detection. In this study, a cost-effective functionalized cotton fiber material modified with methacrylic anhydride (MAA) and mercaptosuccinic acid (MSA), termed MAA-MSA-CF, was developed for capturing and analyzing the trace amphetamine-type stimulants (ATS) in exhaled breath samples. Experimental results demonstrated that the MAA-MSA-CF achieved excellent capture efficiencies for amphetamine (AMP), methamphetamine (MA), and 3,4-methylenedioxy-methamphetamine (MDA), with rates of 84%, 93%, and 86%, respectively, and allowed sensitive detection with a limit of 100 pg/pad via ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (UHPLC-MS/MS). This method was successfully applied to the capture and analysis of ATS from rat breath samples, highlighting the potential of functionalized cotton fiber as non-invasive platform for drug abuse screening and offering a promising tool for enhanced drug control applications. Download: Download high-res image (186KB) Download: Download full-size image