Chinese Journal of Chromatography

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Determination of eleven steroid hormones in animal muscle tissues and eggs using ultra-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry

HE Limin1, HUANG Xianhui1, FANG Binghu1, HUANG Shixin2, CAO Ying2, CHEN Jianxin1, ZENG Zhenling1, CHEN Zhangliu1   

  1. 1.Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, College of Veterinary Medicine, South China Agriculture University, Guangzhou 510642, China; 2.Shanghai Institute for Veterinary Drug and Feedstuffs Control, Shanghai 201103, China
  • Received:2008-05-17 Revised:2008-08-17 Online:2008-11-30 Published:1983-06-25
  • Contact: ZENG Zhenling

Abstract: A credible method was developed for the simultaneous determination of eleven steroid hormone residues in animal muscle tissues and eggs based on ultra-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS). The eleven steroid hormones were testosterone, methyltestosterone, trenbolone, boldenone, nandrolone, methandienone, stanozolol, progesterone, nadrolone propionate, testosterone propionate and nadrolone phenylpropionate. The samples were extracted with tert-butyl methyl ether at alkaline pH and then cleaned up by freezing-lipid filtration. All these drugs can be assayed in 10 min by UPLC-MS/MS using electrospray ionization in positive ion mode and multiple reaction monitoring mode. The limits of detection were 0.3 μg/kg for testosterone, methyltestosterone, boldenone, methandienone and stanozolol, and 0.4 μg/kg for trenbolone nandrolone, progesterone, testosterone propionate and nadrolone phenylpropionate. Overall recoveries of testosterone, methyltestosterone, boldenone, methandienone and stanozolol were 62.3%-105% from pork, beef, mutton and chicken muscle tissues, and eggs fortified at the 1, 2 and 10 μg/kg levels , and the relative standard deviations (RSDs) were 0.5%-15%. The recoveries of trenbolone nandrolone, progesterone, testosterone propionate and nadrolone phenylpropionate were higher than 50.0%, and the RSDs were lower than 16%. The matrix calibration curve for each drug was linear (r>0.99) from 1 to 100 μg/L. The established method is simple, rapid, sensitive and specific, and is appropriate for the identification and quantification of anabolic androgenic steroids in animal muscle tissues and eggs

Key words: animal muscles, eggs , residues, steroid hormones, ultra-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS)