[Determination of eleven steroid hormones in animal muscle tissues and eggs using ultra-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry].

A credible method was developed for the simultaneous determination of eleven steroid hormone residues in animal muscle tissues and eggs based on ultra-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS). The eleven steroid hormones were testosterone, methyltestosterone, trenbolone, boldenone, nandrolone, methandienone, stanozolol, progesterone, nadrolone propionate, testosterone propionate and nadrolone phenylpropionate. The samples were extracted with tert-butyl methyl ether at alkaline pH and then cleaned up by freezing-lipid filtration. All these drugs can be assayed in 10 min by UPLC-MS/MS using electrospray ionization in positive ion mode and multiple reaction monitoring mode. The limits of detection were 0.3 microg/kg for testosterone, methyltestosterone, boldenone, methandienone and stanozolol, and 0.4 microg/kg for trenbolone nandrolone, progesterone, testosterone propionate and nadrolone phenylpropionate. Overall recoveries of testosterone, methyltestosterone, boldenone, methandienone and stanozolol were 62.3% - 105% from pork, beef, mutton and chicken muscle tissues, and eggs fortified at the 1, 2 and 10 microg/kg levels, and the relative standard deviations (RSDs) were 0.5% - 15%. The recoveries of trenbolone nandrolone, progesterone, testosterone propionate and nadrolone phenylpropionate were higher than 50.0%, and the RSDs were lower than 16%. The matrix calibration curve for each drug was linear (r > 0.99) from 1 to 100 microg/L. The established method is simple, rapid, sensitive and specific, and is appropriate for the identification and quantification of anabolic androgenic steroids in animal muscle tissues and eggs.