Detection of boldenone, its conjugates and androstadienedione, as well as five corticosteroids in bovine bile through a unique immunoaffinity column clean-up and two validated liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry analyses

Anabolic steroids in livestock production: Background and implications for chemical food safety

The use of steroids in livestock animals is a source of concern for consumers because of the risks associated with the presence of their residues in foodstuffs of animal origin. Technological advances such as mass spectrometry have made it possible to play a fundamental role in controlling such practices, firstly for the discovery of marker metabolites but also for the monitoring of these compounds under the regulatory framework. Current control strategies rely on the monitoring of either the parent drug or its metabolites in various matrices of interest. As some of these steroids also have an endogenous status specific strategies have to be applied for control purposes. This review aims to provide a comprehensive and up-to-date knowledge of analytical strategies, whether targeted or non-targeted, and whether they focus on markers of exposure or effect in the specific context of chemical food safety regarding the use of anabolic steroids in livestock. The role of new approaches in data acquisition (e.g. ion mobility), processing and analysis, (e.g. molecular networking), is also discussed.

Maternal prednisone exposure during pregnancy elevates susceptibility to osteoporosis in female offspring: The role of mitophagy/FNDC5 alteration in skeletal muscle

Maternal exposure to glucocorticoids has been associated with adverse outcomes in offspring. However, the consequences and mechanisms of gestational exposure to prednisone on susceptibility to osteoporosis in the offspring remain unclear. Here, we found that gestational prednisone exposure enhanced susceptibility to osteoporosis in adult mouse offspring. In a further exploration of myogenic mechanisms, results showed that gestational prednisone exposure down-regulated FNDC5/irisin protein expression and activation of OPTN-dependent mitophagy in skeletal muscle of adult offspring. Additional experiments elucidated that activated mitophagy significantly inhibited the expression of FNDC5/irisin in skeletal muscle cells. Likewise, we observed delayed fetal bone development, downregulated FNDC5/irisin expression, and activated mitophagy in fetal skeletal muscle upon gestational prednisone exposure. In addition, an elevated total m6A level was observed in fetal skeletal muscle after gestational prednisone exposure. Finally, gestational supplementation with S-adenosylhomocysteine (SAH), an inhibitor of m6A activity, attenuated mitophagy and restored FNDC5/irisin expression in fetal skeletal muscle, which in turn reversed fetal bone development. Overall, these data indicate that gestational prednisone exposure increases m6A modification, activates mitophagy, and decreases FNDC5/irisin expression in skeletal muscle, thus elevating osteoporosis susceptibility in adult offspring. Our results provide a new perspective on the earlier prevention and treatment of fetal-derived osteoporosis.

A sensitive monoclonal antibody-based ELISA integrated with immunoaffinity column extraction for the detection of zearalenone in food and feed samples

Zearalenone (ZEN) is one of the most toxic mycotoxins widely found in agricultural products. In this study, a sensitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) integrated with immunoaffinity column extraction for the detection of ZEN in food and feed samples was developed. A ZEN derivative containing a carboxylic group was first synthesized and then linked to bovine serum albumin (BSA). The formed ZEN-BSA conjugate was used as the immunogen for the production of the monoclonal antibody (mAb) against ZEN. The hybridoma clones (1G5) capable of secreting antibodies against ZEN were successfully selected. Based on this mAb, the IC50 and LOD of the ELISA for ZEN were 0.37 ng mL-1 and 0.04 ng mL-1, respectively, which were 1.6-308.1 times lower than those in the published ELISAs, indicating the high sensitivity of our assay. There was no cross-reactivity of the mAb with other four mycotoxins (patulin, AFB1, DON, and OTA). Due to the high similarity in molecular structures among ZEN and its homologs (α-zearalanol, β-zearalanol, zearalanone, α-zearalenol, β-zearalenol), the CR values of the mAb with the homologs were within 3.59%-105.71%. Taking advantage of plenty of mAb, the immunoaffinity column was prepared by immobilizing the mAb on Sepharose-4B gel and filling it into an SPE column. ZEN spiked samples (corn, wheat, feed) were extracted using an immunoaffinity column and measured by ELISA and HPLC-FLD simultaneously. The recoveries of the ELISA for ZEN in the spiked samples were 92.46-105.48% with RSDs of 4.87-10.11%. A good correlation between ELISA (x) and HPLC-FLD (y) with the linear regression equation y = 1.0589x + 1.43815 (R2 = 0.998, n = 6) was obtained. To verify the applicability, the proposed ELISA was also applied to some real samples randomly collected from a local market. It was proven that the newly produced mAb-based ELISA was a feasible and sensitive method for the detection of ZEN in food and feed samples.

The Importance of Monitoring Cortisol in the Agri-Food Sector-A Systematic Review

Cortisol monitoring in the agri-food sector is considered a valuable tool due to its direct correlation with growth, reproduction, the immune system, and overall animal welfare. Strategies to monitor this stress hormone and its correlation to food quality and security have been studied in fish farming and the livestock industry. This review discusses studies on monitoring cortisol in the food industry for the first time. The impact of cortisol on animal production, quality, and the security of food products, and the analytical procedures commonly implemented for sample pre-concentration and quantification by liquid chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry, are reviewed and discussed according to the results published in the period 2012-2022. Aquaculture, or fish farming, is the leading agri-food sector, where cortisol's impact and usefulness are better known than in livestock. The determination of cortisol in fish not only allows for an increase in the production rate, but also the ability to monitor the water quality, enhancing the sustainable development of this industry. In cattle, further studies are needed since it has mainly been used to detect the administration of illicit substances. Current analytical control and monitoring techniques are expensive and often depend on invasive sampling, not allowing fast or real-time monitoring.

Hormones residues in bovine animals: Sampling, analysis and health risk assessment

The use of hormones for breeding animal livestock has been banned since 1981 under the Council Directive 81/602/EC. So far, each country should monitor the use of anabolic hormones in animal production to protect the consumer's health against these unwanted residues. This paper presents the research results on steroid and non-steroid hormones residues carried out in Lebanon from 2018 to 2020. Using a newly developed and validated LC-MS/MS method, the detection and the quantification of hormones in bovine matrices were done. The targeted matrices were muscle, liver, kidney, and bile. A total of two-hundred and forty-seven samples were collected from different slaughterhouses located in six different cities in Lebanon. Interestingly, only four hormones were found: testosterone, progesterone, epitestosterone, and 6 propyl 2thiouracil. Based on the obtained data, the estimated daily intake, hazard quotient, and hazard index were calculated to evaluate an exposure assessment.

Determination of Carbohydrates in Lactose-Free Dairy Products to Support Food Labelling

Milk and its derivatives are the basis of human nutrition since childhood. Given their importance within a balanced diet, the determination of carbohydrates in milk and its derivatives is fundamental for two reasons: one of alimentary origin related to intolerances and the other one of technological origin, especially for PDO (Protected Designation of Origin) products. The dietetic approach, including lactose-free products, has a crucial role in the management of lactose intolerance, but labelling and compositional rules indicating the absence or reduced presence of lactose in food are currently not harmonised at Union level. Considering the above-mentioned issues and the absence of official methods for the determination of low sugar concentrations, we propose a new and simple IC-HRMS method to detect carbohydrates in milk and different lactose-free derivatives, which can allow the definition of concentration limits useful to characterise products suitable for specific dietary regimes.

Abuse of anabolic agents in beef cattle: Could bile be a possible alternative matrix?

European Union prohibited the use of anabolic agents in food producing animals since 1988. An efficient control of abuses is guaranteed not only by highly performing analytical methods, but also by knowledge of metabolic pathways, kinetics of elimination and tissue distribution. To obtain data concerning metabolites production and accumulation in bile, two typical growth promoting treatments are carried out in cattle. In the first study, sixteen beef cattle were implanted with trenbolone acetate and estradiol. In the second one, three animals were implanted with zeranol and three were fed a diet containing zearalenone. Methods based on liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) were developed and validated to quantify the analytes of interest. The results evidenced that the biliary concentrations of the marker residues were always higher than those determined at the same time in urine and liver which are the matrices generally collected within the official monitoring programmes.

Evaluation of nandrolone and ractopamine in the urine of veal calves: liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry approach

Under European legislation, the use of growth promoters is forbidden in food-producing livestock. The application of unofficial protocols with diverse combinations of veterinary drugs, administered in very low concentrations, hinders reliable detection and subsequent operative prevention. It was observed that nandrolone (anabolic steroid) and ractopamine (β-adrenergic agonist) are occasionally administered to animals, but little is known about their synergic action when they are administered together. Two specific analytical methods based on liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry have been developed, both of which include hydrolysis of the corresponding conjugates. For the nandrolone method, solid-phase extraction was necessary for the complete elimination of the interferences, while employment of the Quantitation Enhanced Data-Dependent scan mode during MS acquisition of ractopamine enabled the utilization of simple liquid-liquid extraction. The nandrolone method was linear in the range of 0.5-25 ng/mL, while the ractopamine calibration curve was constructed from 0.5 to 1000 ng/mL. The corresponding coefficients of correlations were >0.9907. The lower limit of quantification for both methods was 0.5 ng/mL, followed by overall recoveries >81%. Precisions expressed as relative standard deviations were <17%, while matrix effects were minimal. Urine samples taken at the slaughterhouse from veal calves enrolled in an experimental treatment consisting of intramuscular administration of β-nandrolone-phenylpropionate accompanied with a ractopamine-enriched diet were analysed. Those methods might be useful for studying the elimination patterns of the administered compounds along with characterization of the main metabolic pathways. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.