Dried Matrix Spots for the Determination of Opiates and Opioids: Methodological Advances and Applications
Rosendo et al.
The finding, in our words
Dried matrix spot techniques enable minimally invasive opioid monitoring across blood, urine, and saliva with enhanced sample stability and simpler transport, yet suffer from low volumes, matrix-specific recovery issues, and lack of standardisation. Optimising paper substrates and integrating with automated miniaturised mass spectrometry would improve their reliability for decentralised and point-of-care applications.
A paraphrase to the Library’s standard, never the abstract. The source is one link away and is always the authority.
This narrative review evaluates microsampling devices for therapeutic drug monitoring, concluding that techniques such as volumetric absorptive microsampling and dried blood spots offer reliable, less invasive alternatives to venous sampling when paired with high-sensitivity mass spectrometry, which supports implementation in routine clinical practice.
This review establishes that microsampling across blood, saliva, urine and stool matrices offers validated workflows and regulatory recognition for human biomonitoring comparable to conventional methods. It finds that these decentralised approaches enhance participant acceptability and enable screening in remote or low-resource settings.
This review highlights that microsampling techniques such as dried blood spots and volumetric absorptive microsampling offer superior alternatives to traditional sampling for the mass spectrometry detection of prohibited substances in anti-doping analysis. It provides guidance on selecting appropriate analytical methods and sample pretreatment strategies to ensure sensitive detection and reliable storage conditions.
Maykar et al., Critical reviews in analytical chemistry (paywalled) · source ↗
The authors found that a single microdose of recombinant EPO was detectable up to 72 hours using ITP and CP methods, though the Tasso microsampling device showed lower sensitivity than Mitra and Capitainer. Additionally, isotope ratio mass spectrometry successfully detected testosterone micro-dosing in all analysed samples, supported by serum testosterone levels.
Heiland et al., Drug testing and analysis · source ↗
Confirms urine is the second-most-applied VAMS matrix in forensics, collecting a consistent volume regardless of viscosity and enabling room-temperature storage and shipping.