Lateral flow immunoassay and enzyme linked immunosorbent assay as effective immunomethods for the detection of synthetic cannabinoid JWH-200 based on the newly synthesized hapten

In recent years, the use of synthetic cannabinoids (SCs) as drugs of abuse has greatly increased. SCs are associated with a risk of severe poisoning or even death. Therefore, more rapid, cost effective and reliable methods are needed, especially for the screening of drivers after traffic accidents and for detailed toxicological analysis in forensic laboratories. In this study, we developed a lateral flow immunoassay (LFIA) and an enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for the detection of JWH-200 in oral fluids. For this purpose a new hapten was prepared using a ten-step synthetic route. The developed immuno methods are based on antibodies obtained from rabbit immunized with synthesized hapten conjugated to carrier protein. The proposed methods are highly sensitive (LOD(LFIA) = 0.08 ± 0.04 ng mL(−1); LOD(ELISA) = 0.04 ± 0.02 ng mL(−1)). They were applied to the quantification of JHW-200 in spiked oral fluids. The recoveries ranged from 82 to 134% for both methods. The results correlated excellently with results obtained using UHPLC–MS/MS (R(2)(LFIA) = 0.99; R(2)(ELISA) = 0.99). Our developed methods could be an important tool for analyses of JWH-200 in human oral fluids. The one-step LFIA is particularly suitable for roadside and on-site monitoring due to the rapid qualitative results it delivers, while the ELISA is especially useful for laboratory quantitative analyses of positive samples captured by LFIA.