A RIKILT yeast Estrogen bioAssay (REA) for estrogen residue detection in urine of calves experimentally treated with 17beta-estradiol.

Sara Divari (1) , Raffaella de Maria (1) , Francesca Tiziana Cannizzo (1) , Francesca Spada (1) , Chiara Mulasso (1) , Toine Frank Henk Bovee (2) , Piergiorgio Capra (3) , Marta Leporati (3) , Bartolomeo Biolatti (1)

1 Dep. of Animal Pathology
2 O&E
3 Institute of Zooprophilaxis of Piemonte, Liguria and Valle d'Aosta

17beta-estradiol is one of the most powerful sex steroids illegally used in bovine production. The objective of this study was to evaluate the application and the specificity of the RIKILT yeast Estrogen bioAssay (REA) in the detection of molecules with estrogenic activities in the urine of calves experimentally treated with anabolics. Four groups of six calves each received an injection of 17beta-estradiol i.m. (group B), androsterone and gliburide (group A), and testosterone (group C) molecules at different dosage for 40 days. Group D was the control. The ability of the REA test to detect estrogenic activity in urine samples from all animals was evaluated. All estrogen-treated animals (group B) resulted positive up to seven days after administration of the highest dosage of 17β-estradiol, while the other three groups resulted negative. The identity of estrogenic molecules in the urine of group B (17beta-estradiol, 17alpha-estradiol, and estrone) was confirmed by gas chromatography assay (GS/MS). This is the first time the REA test has been applied to detect 17β-estradiol in the urine of calves treated with the hormone in vivo. The technique may offer an advantageous laboratory method for the veterinary surveillance of illegal steroid use.

Mots clés: Life Sciences

Sara Divari, Raffaella de Maria, Francesca Tiziana Cannizzo, Francesca Spada, Chiara Mulasso, et al.. A RIKILT yeast Estrogen bioAssay (REA) for estrogen residue detection in urine of calves experimentally treated with 17beta-estradiol.. Food Additives and Contaminants, 2009, 27 (01), pp.19-28. ⟨10.1080/02652030903225757⟩. ⟨hal-00572614⟩