Testing for drug use and disease in humans could soon be much simpler, thanks to new Swedish research.
Whereas drug tests currently rely on blood or urine samples, researchers from the University of Gothenburg have identified a method for drug testing by analysing various compounds in exhaled breath.
Reporting their results today in the Journal of Breath Research, they demonstrate how collecting and analysing externally-produced compounds in the lining fluid of the airways allows for non-invasive testing and monitoring.
Lead author Dr Göran Ljungkvist said: “Exhaled breath contains particles carrying non-volatile substances. The main components, lipids and proteins, are derived from the respiratory tract lining fluid. The collection procedure is non-invasive, can be repeated within a short time span and is convenient. The small mass sampled is, however, an analytical challenge. Nevertheless, exhaled particles are a new and promising matrix for the analysis of biomarkers.
“We took breath samples from 13 subjects who were undergoing methadone management, to explore whether traces of the drug could be detected via their breath, rather than using invasive techniques that disturb the integrity of the subject.
“We also wanted to discover the best method for collecting methadone particles in the exhaled breath, so our study compared two different sampling methods – electret filtration, and impaction.”
The electret filtration method potentially collected exhaled particles of all sizes, while the one based on impaction collected particles in the size range of 0.5 to 7?m, known to reflect respiratory tract lining fluid from the small airways.
The researchers used liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry to analyse the collected samples, as well as investigating the impact of different breathing patterns.
Their results showed methadone was present in all samples using both methods, but when using the method based on impaction, the concentration of methadone in exhaled breath was less than one per cent of the concentration collected by the method based on filtration.
Dr Ljungkvist said: “The difference in collected amounts of methadone between the two methods was, however, huge. That raised secondary questions on the origin of the collected particles, possible contamination from oral fluid, the breathing pattern and finally the design of the collection device.
“The design of the device is crucial in many ways and it is likely that the huge difference in collected amounts is explained by the sampling of different particle size distributions. The device based on filtration also collects larger particles not collected by the method based on impaction. The design also influences the risk of contamination from oral fluid and losses of particles on their way to the actual collecting medium.
“However, we believe the very high amount of methadone collected by the filtration method is probably due to a considerable contribution of methadone from the central airways or oropharyngeal tract.
“Our results, and methods, could have implications for the analysis of endogenous and exogeneous compounds in the exhaled breath as biomarkers of systemic and lung diseases, as well as in development of new approaches to study human exposure to airborne contamination.”
The Latest on: Breath analysis
- Should You Be Adding Quixant (LON:QXT) To Your Watchlist Today?on July 20, 2019 at 2:26 am
or else breathe its last breath. View our latest analysis for Quixant Quixant's Earnings Per Share Are Growing. If you believe that markets are even vaguely efficient, then over the long term you ... […]
- Drug Tester Market : Exploring the Impact of Trends on Strategies of Key Players: Siemens AG, Thermo Fisher Scientific, Abbott Laboratories…on July 19, 2019 at 11:33 am
Valley Cottage, NY -- (SBWIRE) -- 07/19/2019 -- Drug tester is used to provide technical analysis of a biological specimen, such as sweat, blood, breath, hair, urine and other biological samples. The ... […]
- Drug of Abuse (DOA) Testing Equipment Market 2019| Outlook, Opportunity and Demand Analysis Report By 2024 - MRE Reporton July 19, 2019 at 10:12 am
Based on product segmentation the global Drug of Abuse (DOA) Testing Equipment market splits into Immunoassay analyzers, Chromatography instruments, Breath analyzers and ... Our market analysis ... […]
- Peanut plant's 'chemical breath' could give clues to drought and other stresseson July 19, 2019 at 5:05 am
Peanut growers could someday identify emerging threats such as drought, pests or disease by testing a plant's "chemical breath ... GTRI for identification and analysis using a thermal desorption ... […]
- Don't Hold Your Breath for the FDA's CBD Reporton July 19, 2019 at 4:51 am
I'm not exactly holding my breath for a number of reasons. For starters, Dr. Abernethy notes in the last of her linked tweets that the regulatory agency, while expediting its analysis, aims only to ... […]
- ANALYSIS-Position shifts point to pause in Brazil market rallyon July 18, 2019 at 2:43 pm
All have posted stunning gains since mid-May. But with a historic and major overhaul of the country's bloated social security system all but sealed, do Brazilian assets continue rising, pause for ... […]
- GBP traders holding their breath as inflation data nearon July 17, 2019 at 3:35 am
The EUR/USD recovery gains traction above the 1.12 handle, in the wake of upbeat Eurozone final CPI data and a fresh round of US dollar selling across the board. Focus now shifts towards the US ... […]
- Markets pause for breath, but earnings season starts on right footon July 17, 2019 at 2:45 am
Fed chief Jerome Powell may have reiterated hints at a rate cut yesterday, but the message came accompanied by a string of risk factors including the federal debt limit and falling US inflation that ... […]
- Mints Market Size, Share 2019-2024: Key Findings, Regional Analysis, Key Players Profiles and Future Prospectson July 15, 2019 at 10:30 pm
Breath sweeteners include sugar confectionery ... Mints market along with Report Research Design: Trend and forecast analysis: Market trend, forecast and Analysis to 2023 by segments and region. ... […]
- Drink-drive mum-of-three refuses breath test before trying to BITE police officerson July 15, 2019 at 7:57 am
A mum-of-three who refused a breath test from police before attempting to BITE cops ... She admitted failing to provide a specimen for analysis and resisting a police officer in the execution of their ... […]
via Google News and Bing News