Development and application of an in-house ephedrine matrix material in doping analysis using LC-MS/MS

Abstract

In doping analysis, threshold substances are assessed in urine samples through chromatography to detect Adverse Analytical Findings (AAF) based on the Decision Limit (DL). The need for sensitive and accurate quantitative analysis has increased. Reference materials(RMs) can be used to ensure accurate quantification. Biomatrix RM can enhance the quality of results by closely resembling actual sample characteristics and analyte properties. This study specifically developed biomatrix RM for ephedrine(EP) quantification. LC？MS/MS was used for quantitative analysis as well as homogeneity, stability, and traceability studies to validate the RM. The study determined a traceability value of the in-house matrix EP RM as 9.83 ± 0.57 ？g/mL (k = 2) by inter-laboratory comparison studies and traceable uncertain evaluation. This demonstrates the potential utility of the in-house matrix RM as a single-point calibrator. It could be utilized in analytical fields that necessitate accurate results. Consequently, this study establishes a framework and guidelines for producing in-house matrix RMs.