URINARY-EXCRETION OF ANDROSTENEDIONE IN CATTLE AS AN INDICATOR OF POSSIBLE ILLEGAL USE IN LIVESTOCK BREEDING

Androstenedione (androst-4-ene-3,17-dione) is a metabolite and a precursor of testosterone (17beta-hydroxyandrost-4-en-3-one) and is present in cattle. The features of the molecule, also produced by synthesis, include an anabolysing effect, without or with a moderate androgenic effect. During a period of 2.5 years, within a control project aimed at the production of quality meat, more than 2000 urine samples from cattle and veal calves were analysed by liquid chromatography (detection limit 1 ng ml-1). Confirmations were carried out by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. In most instances the concentration of androstenedione found was below 1 ng ml-1. Androstenedione contents in muscle and plasma at levels from 0.02 to 0.72 ng g-1 or ng ml-1 have been reported, but only a few data on urinary excretion have been published. Only 35 samples of 2000 analysed showed the presence of androstenedione at levels exceeding the revealability limit with values from 5.5 to 70.6 ng ml-1. Most of the results showed that amounts excreted in urine are similar to those in tissues, i.e., below 1 ng ml-1. The recovery data indicate that levels of urinary excretion much above 1 ng ml-1 are to be considered as anomalous and need further investigation to verify their pathological or fraudulent origin.