Background: The measurement of morphine in biological samples has become a routine in many clinical and forensic toxicology laboratories. A high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) method was developed for the determination of morphine in plasma.
Methods: Samples were extracted using Zeolite Y column followed by reversed phase HPLC with fluorescence detection. This method was based on an ex-calibration procedure and was linear between 20 and 200 ng/ml of morphine. Blood from 10 male opiate addicts were obtained from Rosbeh Hospital. All of the male smoked opiate (heroin, opium) and cigarettes.
Results: The mean total level 5 h after the last abuse was 152.4 ng/ml and 37.6 ng/ml at 10-15 h. The method was reliable for morphine determination in blood even after 5 half-lives after the last abuse.
Conclusions: This method is simple and rapid and may be useful for routine monitoring of plasma morphine concentration.