Development of LC-MS/MS methodology for the detection/determination and confirmation of chloramphenicol, chloramphenicol 3-O-ß-d-glucuronide, florfenicol, florfenicol amine and thiamphenicol residues in bovine, equine and porcine liver.

A method for the detection and confirmation of organic solvent extractable residues of the neutral, acidic, and basic analytes of the amphenicol class veterinary drugs and selected metabolites was developed and validated. Using a modified QuEChERS extraction with SPE cleanup and LC-MS/MS analysis, limits of detection and confirmation for the different analytes in bovine, equine, and porcine liver ranged from 0.1ng/g for chloramphenicol to 1ng/g for florfenicol amine. Tissue homogenization with an ammonium formate/EDTA solution and subsequent analyte partitioning against 7:3 acetonitrile:isopropanol solution and mixed-mode strong-cation exchange solid-phase extraction cartridge cleanup allowed for the extraction of all compounds from tissues with mean recoveries ranging from 50% (chloramphenicol 3-O-ß-d-glucuronide) to 90% (thiamphenicol). Matrix effects ranged from greater than 85% suppression for florfenicol amine to 70% matrix enhancement for chloramphenicol 3-O-ß-d-glucuronide. Quantitation and confirmation were accomplished using commercially available penta-deuterated chloramphenicol as internal standard and multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) of two or three transitions per target analyte. Method accuracy was greater than 15% for all compounds except the glucuronide metabolite. Intra-lab method repeatability estimates ranged from 73% RSD for chloramphenicol 3-O-ß-d-glucuronide to 14% RSD for chloramphenicol. Only chloramphenicol 3-O-ß-d-glucuronide and florfenicol amine at the low end of their calibration ranges (0.25 and 1ng/g, respectively) did not meet AOAC recommended HorRatr guidelines for intra-lab repeatabilities. Preliminary tests show that the method's extraction protocol can be used to recover analytes of the ß-agonists, corticosteroids, fluoroquinolones, sulfonamides, and tetracycline drug classes from the same matrices. Requirements for use in national chemical monitoring programs as a detection/confirmatory (florfenicol amine and chloramphenicol 3-O-ß-d-glucuronide) and determinative/confirmatory (chloramphenicol, florfenicol, thiamphenicol) analytical methodology are met.

Development and validation of determinative and confirmatory LC-MS/MS methodologies for total florfenicol and tulathromycin residues in bovine, equine and porcine kidney, liver and muscle tissues.

Separate methods for the quantitation and confirmation of regulatory relevant residue concentrations of total florfenicol and tulathromycin residues in multiple tissue matrices were developed and validated. Total florfenicol residues, determined and expressed as florfenicol amine (FFA) equivalents, were quantified and confirmed over a concentration range of 100-4000ng/g, with an LOD of 33ng/g, while total tulathromyicn residues, determined as CP-60,300 and expressed as tulathromycin equivalents, were quantified and confirmed over a concentration range of 500-10,000ng/g, with an LOD of 300ng/g. A 2 or 1h acid digestion for the FFA and tulathromycin methods, respectively, followed by extraction, cleanup, and concentration using mixed-mode strong cation-exchange SPE cartridges was used. Quantitation and confirmation were accomplished using commercially available tri-deuterated FFA (FFA-D3) as internal standard and multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) of three transitions per target analyte. Mean recoveries and matrix effects were 60% and 25%; and 100% and 110%, respectively for the target analytes florfenicol amine and CP-60,300. Intra-lab method reproducibilities ranged from 7 to 11% RSD, which are within the AOAC recommended HORRATr guidelines for method reproducibilities estimated from single laboratory validation studies. Blind spikes showed that method bias was generally less than 15% for both methods within the calibration range. Both methods have been shown to meet requirements for use in national chemical residue monitoring programs.

Distribution of trenbolone residues in liver and various muscle groups of heifers that received multiple implants at the recommended site of application.

Twenty heifers which were each administered 3 or 4 implants containing trenbolone acetate were slaughtered at 30 days post-implantation. Liquid chromatographic analyses were conducted on muscle collected from the rump, loin, shoulder, and neck, and on the liver of each animal. Residues present in liver were primarily 17alpha-trenbolone, and the residues found in the various muscle samples were primarily 17beta-trenbolone. The mean concentration of 17alpha-trenbolone in liver was 4.3 +/- 2.3 ng/g; the mean concentration of 17beta-trenbolone in muscle tissues was < 0.4 ng/g. There was a small but statistically significant effect of the number of implants used on the mean concentration of residues in loin muscles; animals with 3 trenbolone implants had higher mean residue concentrations than animals with 4 trenbolone implants. This suggests that, though the impact of implant numbers on the mean concentration of residues in muscle tissues is negligible relative to currently generally accepted maximum residue levels, mechanisms may exist for selective distribution and retention of residues within different muscle groups.

Alternative methodology for the analysis of progesterone, testosterone, and epi-testosterone in bovine liver and veal muscle.

Research has shown that traditional solvent extraction procedures used for the analysis of endogenous steroids often give inconsistent recoveries and results. However, a single-laboratory validation of a liquid chromatography/tandem mass specrometry method using 2 product ions per transition for progesterone, testosterone, and epi-testosterone in bovine liver and veal muscle showed accuracy and precision to within 23% at concentrations ranging from 0.5 to 2.0 microg/kg. Homogenized samples were pretreated with methanol to denature endogenous enzymes. Following removal of methanol, samples were treated overnight with Helix pomatia beta-glucuronidase to deconjugate glucuronide conjugates. Alkali digestion of the samples in KOH solutions was done under shaking at 37 degrees C for 30 min. The digestate was extracted with methyl tert-butyl ether, and the extracts were cleaned by partitioning between acetonitrile-hexane, followed by solid-phase extraction cleanup on silica cartridges. In bovine liver, average recoveries exceeded 54% for all analytes, and the within-run assay coefficients of variations were < 6 and 13% for high (2.0 microg/kg) and low (0.3 microg/kg) analyte concentrations, respectively. In veal muscle, average recoveries exceeded 60%, and the analysis of blind spikes gave accuracy estimates of over 85%, with coefficients of variation (CVs) < 15% for all analytes. The CVs for the multiple reaction monitoring ion ratios for all compounds were < 22% for all validation data. The method meets the requirements for confirmatory methods as outlined in 2002/657/EC. An analyst is capable of processing up to 20 samples within 5 days.

Validation of a gas chromatography-mass spectrometry method for the determination of pg/ml levels of 17beta-estradiol and 17beta-trenbolone in bovine serum.

A method for the quantitation of pg/ml levels of 17beta-estradiol and 17beta-trenbolone in bovine serum by gas chromatography/electron-capture mass spectrometry has been developed and validated. Using the area ratios of the integrated molecular-ion peaks of the analytes to their corresponding deuterated internal standards, [2,4,16,16-2H4] 17beta-estradiol (17beta-estradiol-d(4)) and [16,16-2H2] 17beta-trenbolone (17beta-trenbolone-d(2)), and non-weighted linear regression, two calibration curves per analyte; 5-50 and 50-500 pg/ml for 17beta-estradiol in sera, and 25-250 and 250-2500 pg/ml for 17beta-trenbolone in sera, respectively, were constructed. Splitless injection of 200 fg 17beta-estradiol and 1000 fg 17beta-trenbolone could be detected and quantified. Tested batches of control bovine sera did not exhibit interference for 17beta-trenbolone, and showed expected background presence of endogenous 17beta-estradiol. Intra-day residual errors did not exceed 20%, and regression correlations were greater than 0.99. Intra-day precision data was similar to inter-day precision data. Using this method, 16 samples can be processed within one working day.