Low level quantitation of steroids in milk using LC/MS/MS

Introduction

Increase in incidences of some hormone-related cancers throughout the world is of great concern. Dairy cows continue to lactate during the later half of pregnancy, when the concentration of estrogens in blood is high, and hence increases in milk. Main concern is about cows' milk, which contains considerable quantity of estrogens. Increased consumption of such animal-derived food may have adverse effects. Hormones are chemicals that are naturally produced in the body of animals and human beings and have a number of important functions in life, such as reproduction or growth. However, due to the important role of these chemicals in several body functions, they also have been exogenously applied to animals and humans in order to obtain some kind of benefit in health or even to improve physical growth and performance. As a matter of fact, anabolic steroid hormones have played a key role among veterinary products in farming history and they have been one the most used and controversial components among veterinary drugs. The February 2010 article in the journal Pediatric International (February 2010. Vol. 52 #1) showed a potentially disturbing issue related to milk and its impact on the hormonal system. The modern dairy cow has been converted to a full time milk factory. It is not often talked about, but modern industrialized dairy cattle continue to produce milk throughout their pregnancy. This milk goes directly into the food supply and contains varying amounts of bovine estrogen and progesterone. These hormones are then directly absorbed by consumers. A highly specific LC/MS/MS method has been developed for trace level quantitation of steroids in milk using LCMS-8050, a triple quadrupole mass spectrometer from Shimadzu Corporation, Japan. Ultra high sensitivity of LCMS-8050 due to heated ESI source, enabled development of ppt level quantitation for testosterone, progesterone and estradiol.

January 7, 2020 GMT