INTERFERENCE OF ZINC SULPHATE WITH TRAMADOL AND DIAZEPAM IMMUNOASSAY TESTING

Drug abuse is a significant public health issue in many countries worldwide. Tramadol used to help relieving moderate to moderately severe pain. Tramadol works similar to opioid (narcotic) analgesics in their mechanism of action. Diazepam belongs to a class of drugs known as benzodiazepines. Diazepam used to treat medical conditions such as alcohol withdrawal, anxiety and seizures. It could be used to relieve muscle spasm and to provide sedation before medical procedures. Immunoassay tests are commonly used health care field. Depending on those circumstances; this study investigated the potential interference of zinc ion used as a direct adulterant for enzyme multiplied immunoassay technique (EMIT)-based drugs of abuse testing in urine samples. For confirmatory testing, Ultra Performance Liquid Chromatography with photodiode array detector method was utilized. The effect of zinc sulfate existence on two drugs of abuse, tramadol and diazepam, was explored and a minimum concentration of 10 mg/ml was found to be effective for adulteration purpose