NCJ Number
158942
Journal
Journal of Analytical Toxicology Volume: 16 Dated: (January/February 1992) Pages: 1-7
Date Published
1992
Length
7 pages
Annotation
Saliva has been used as a diagnostic medium for assessing drug abuse because saliva can be obtained noninvasively, but a clear diagnostic picture is difficult to obtain due to variations in analytical methods used, subject dose regimen, and elapsed time between drug intake and sample collection.
Abstract
Studies on the quantitative determination of different drugs in saliva elucidate the current status in this area. Marijuana, cocaine, phencyclidine, opiates, barbiturates, amphetamines, and diazepines have all been detected in saliva by various analytical methods, including immunoassay, gas chromatography/mass spectrometry, and thin layer chromatography. Initial studies with cocaine and phencyclidine suggest a correlation between saliva and plasma concentrations of these drugs and indicate a dynamic equilibrium between saliva and blood. Tetrahydrocannabinol, the active component in marijuana, does not appear to be transferred from plasma to saliva, although it is sequestered in the bucca cavity during smoking and can be detected in saliva. These findings point to the potential role of saliva in the analysis of many illicit drugs. To clearly identify the role of saliva as a diagnostic medium for abused drugs, research efforts should focus on performing systematic studies of correlations between saliva, blood, and urine and on determining concentrations of drugs and their metabolites in saliva as a function of dose and time after intake. 27 references, 6 tables, and 3 figures