A Mass Spectrometric Study of Kratom Compounds by Direct Infusion Electrospray Ionization Triple Quadrupole Mass Spectrometry

Mitragynine (MG) and its major metabolites 7-hydroxymitragynine (7-OH-MG) are two of the major components of the plant extract Kratom, which is a tree planted in Southeast Asia.Kratom has long been used by opioid-dependent individuals as an alternative to their unavailable opioid of choice and chronic pain medication, as a stealth-to-urine drug screening opiate substitute while in opioid recovery treatment and recreationally, alone or as a booster.In this study, a direct infusion method was utilized and electrospray ionization triple quadrupole mass spectrometer was used as the detector for data acquisition.Pharmacokinetic study was conducted to investigate the effect of mitragynine and 7-hydroxymitragynine and major fragments of both compounds were proposed.