FREE SHIPPING over $40
OVER 9000 FIVE-STAR REVIEWS
5% OFF ALL SUBSCRIPTIONS
100% HAPPINESS GUARANTEE
Analyze Diet
0
Home / Equine Research Bank / BMC Vet Res / Long-term monitoring of opioid, sedative and anti-inflammato...
BMC veterinary research2016; 12; 84; doi: 10.1186/s12917-016-0709-5

Long-term monitoring of opioid, sedative and anti-inflammatory drugs in horse hair using a selective and sensitive LC-MS/MS procedure.

Abstract: Compared to blood or urine, drugs can be detected for much longer periods in the long hair of horses. The aim of this study was to establish and validate a highly sensitive liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) method for the detection and quantification of frequently prescribed opioids, sedatives and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory agents in the mane and tail hair of horses. Based on an average growth rate of about 2 cm per month, times of administration reported by horse owners or veterinary physicians were related to drug localizations in hair. Hair samples were collected from ten horses that received drug treatments and analyzed in segments of 2, 4 or 6 cm in length. Hair segments were decontaminated, cut into fragments and methanol-extracted under sonication. The extracts were analyzed by LC-MS/MS for 13 commonly used drugs using the validated procedure. Deuterated analogs were included as internal standards. Results: Analytes were detected in hair samples with a length of up to 70 cm. Fourteen out of 16 hair samples were positive for at least one of the tested drugs. Segmentation allowed for time-resolved monitoring of periods of 1 to 3 months of drug administration. Concentrations in dark hair reached a maximum of 4.0 pg/mg for butorphanol, 6.0 pg/mg for tramadol, 1.4 pg/mg for morphine, 1.8 pg/mg for detomidine, 1.2 pg/mg for acepromazine, 39 pg/mg for flunixin, 5.0 pg/mg for firocoxib, and 3'600 pg/mg for phenylbutazone. Only trace amounts of meloxicam were detected. Drug detection correlated well with the reported period of medical treatment. No analytes were detected in the light-colored mane and tail hair samples from one horse despite preceding administrations of acepromazine and phenylbutazone. Conclusions: This study describes a sensitive and selective technique suitable for the validated detection and quantification of frequently prescribed veterinary drugs in horse hair. The segmental method can be applied for time-resolved long-term retrospective drug monitoring, for example in prepurchase examinations of horses as drug detection in hair can prove preceding medical treatments.
Get Full Text
Publication Date: 2016-06-01 PubMed ID: 27250835PubMed Central: PMC4888615DOI: 10.1186/s12917-016-0709-5Google Scholar: Lookup
The Equine Research Bank provides access to a large database of publicly available scientific literature. Inclusion in the Research Bank does not imply endorsement of study methods or findings by Mad Barn.
LinkedInCopy
  • Journal Article
  • Validation Study

Summary

This research summary has been generated with artificial intelligence and may contain errors and omissions. Refer to the original study to confirm details provided. Submit correction.

This research aimed to develop and affirm an effective method using liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) to detect common veterinary drugs like opioids, sedatives and anti-inflammatory medications in horse hair. The study resulted in a successful technique which can be used for long-term monitoring of these drugs, providing an insightful retrospective of a horse’s medical treatment history.

Research Method for Drug Detection

  • The study was conducted by collecting hair samples from ten horses that had received drug treatments. These tests targeted 13 frequently used drugs.
  • The hair samples were segregated into lengths of 2, 4 or 6 cm to identify specific times of drug administration based on an average hair growth rate of about 2 cm per month.
  • To extract the drugs, the hair samples were first decontaminated, then cut into fragments and methanol-extracted under sonication.
  • They used the LC-MS/MS procedure that had been validated for the analysis of the drug extracts.
  • The researchers also used deuterated analogs as internal standards to aid in their drug analysis.

Research Findings

  • They found that the drugs can be detected in hair samples up to a length of 70 cm making it possible to monitor a period ranging from 1 to 3 months of drug administration.
  • Drug concentrations in dark hair reached maximum values for a range of drugs, with phenylbutazone having the highest concentration of 3’600 pg/mg.
  • Meloxicam, however, was only detected in trace amounts.
  • The detection of the drugs correlated well with the reported period of medical treatment, confirming the effectiveness of the method developed.
  • However, for one horse with light-colored mane and tail hair, no analytes were detected in the hair samples despite preceding administrations of acepromazine and phenylbutazone.

Conclusions of the Research

  • This study successfully developed a sensitive and selective technique for detecting and quantifying frequently used veterinary drugs in horse hair.
  • Moreover, the segmented approach of this method enables time-specific, long-term monitoring of these drugs, providing a record of preceding medical treatments administered to horses.
  • This can potentially aid in circumstances such as prepurchase examinations of horses where drug history can be essential to inform decisions.

Cite This Article

APA
Madry MM, Spycher BS, Kupper J, Fuerst A, Baumgartner MR, Kraemer T, Naegeli H. (2016). Long-term monitoring of opioid, sedative and anti-inflammatory drugs in horse hair using a selective and sensitive LC-MS/MS procedure. BMC Vet Res, 12, 84. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12917-016-0709-5

Publication

BMC veterinary research
ISSN: 1746-6148
NlmUniqueID: 101249759
Country: England
Language: English
Volume: 12
Pages: 84
PII: 84

Researcher Affiliations

Madry, Milena M
  • Zurich Institute of Forensic Medicine, Center for Forensic Hair Analytics, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland. milena.madry@irm.uzh.ch.
Spycher, Barbara S
  • Zurich Institute of Forensic Medicine, Center for Forensic Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.
Kupper, Jacqueline
  • Institute of Veterinary Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.
Fuerst, Anton
  • Clinic of Veterinary Surgery, Department of Large Animal Surgery, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.
Baumgartner, Markus R
  • Zurich Institute of Forensic Medicine, Center for Forensic Hair Analytics, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.
Kraemer, Thomas
  • Zurich Institute of Forensic Medicine, Center for Forensic Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.
Naegeli, Hanspeter
  • Institute of Veterinary Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland. hanspeter.naegeli@vetpharm.uzh.ch.

MeSH Terms

  • Analgesics, Opioid / analysis
  • Analgesics, Opioid / pharmacokinetics
  • Animals
  • Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal / analysis
  • Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal / pharmacokinetics
  • Chromatography, Liquid / veterinary
  • Hair / chemistry
  • Horses
  • Hypnotics and Sedatives / analysis
  • Hypnotics and Sedatives / pharmacokinetics
  • Sensitivity and Specificity
  • Tandem Mass Spectrometry / veterinary

References

This article includes 24 references
  1. Whittem T, Davis C, Beresford GD, Gourdie T. Detection of morphine in mane hair of horses.. Aust Vet J 1998 Jun;76(6):426-7.
    doi: 10.1111/j.1751-0813.1998.tb12396.xpubmed: 9673770google scholar: lookup
  2. Dunnett M, Lees P. Trace element, toxin and drug elimination in hair with particular reference to the horse.. Res Vet Sci 2003 Oct;75(2):89-101.
    doi: 10.1016/S0034-5288(03)00074-2pubmed: 12893157google scholar: lookup
  3. Schlupp A, Anielski P, Thieme D, Müller RK, Meyer H, Ellendorff F. The beta-agonist clenbuterol in mane and tail hair of horses.. Equine Vet J 2004 Mar;36(2):118-22.
    doi: 10.2746/0425164044868620pubmed: 15038433google scholar: lookup
  4. Anielski P, Thieme D, Schlupp A, Grosse J, Ellendorff F, Mueller RK. Detection of testosterone, nandrolone and precursors in horse hair.. Anal Bioanal Chem 2005 Nov;383(6):903-8.
    doi: 10.1007/s00216-005-0104-8pubmed: 16261327google scholar: lookup
  5. Boyer S, Garcia P, Popot MA, Steiner V, Lesieur M. Detection of testosterone propionate administration in horse hair samples.. J Chromatogr B Analyt Technol Biomed Life Sci 2007 Jun 1;852(1-2):684-8.
    doi: 10.1016/j.jchromb.2007.02.046pubmed: 17383946google scholar: lookup
  6. Kempson IM, Henry DA. Determination of arsenic poisoning and metabolism in hair by synchrotron radiation: the case of Phar Lap.. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 2010 Jun 7;49(25):4237-40.
    doi: 10.1002/anie.200906594pubmed: 20432493google scholar: lookup
  7. Gray BP, Viljanto M, Bright J, Pearce C, Maynard S. Investigations into the feasibility of routine ultra high performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry analysis of equine hair samples for detecting the misuse of anabolic steroids, anabolic steroid esters and related compounds.. Anal Chim Acta 2013 Jul 17;787:163-72.
    doi: 10.1016/j.aca.2013.05.058pubmed: 23830435google scholar: lookup
  8. Pragst F, Balikova MA. State of the art in hair analysis for detection of drug and alcohol abuse.. Clin Chim Acta 2006 Aug;370(1-2):17-49.
    doi: 10.1016/j.cca.2006.02.019pubmed: 16624267google scholar: lookup
  9. Anielski P. Hair analysis of anabolic steroids in connection with doping control-results from horse samples.. J Mass Spectrom 2008 Jul;43(7):1001-8.
    doi: 10.1002/jms.1446pubmed: 18563854google scholar: lookup
  10. Dunnett M. The diagnostic potential of equine hair: a comparative review of hair analysis for assessing nutritional status, environmental poisoning, and drug use and abuse. Advances in equine nutrition-III Kentucky: Kentucky Equine Research; 2005. pp. 85–106.
  11. Cooper GA, Kronstrand R, Kintz P. Society of Hair Testing guidelines for drug testing in hair.. Forensic Sci Int 2012 May 10;218(1-3):20-4.
    doi: 10.1016/j.forsciint.2011.10.024pubmed: 22088946google scholar: lookup
  12. Dunnett M, Lees P. Hair analysis as a novel investigative tool for the detection of historical drug use/misuse in the horse: a pilot study.. Equine Vet J 2004 Mar;36(2):113-7.
    doi: 10.2746/0425164044868738pubmed: 15038432google scholar: lookup
  13. Jouvel C, Maciejewski P, Garcia P, Bonnaire Y, Horning S, Popot MA. Detection of diazepam in horse hair samples by mass spectrometric methods.. Analyst 2000 Oct;125(10):1765-9.
    doi: 10.1039/b003418ppubmed: 11070545google scholar: lookup
  14. Comin A, Veronesi MC, Montillo M, Faustini M, Valentini S, Cairoli F, Prandi A. Hair cortisol level as a retrospective marker of hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis activity in horse foals.. Vet J 2012 Oct;194(1):131-2.
    doi: 10.1016/j.tvjl.2012.04.006pubmed: 22633175google scholar: lookup
  15. Davis TZ, Stegelmeier BL, Hall JO. Analysis in horse hair as a means of evaluating selenium toxicoses and long-term exposures.. J Agric Food Chem 2014 Jul 30;62(30):7393-7.
    doi: 10.1021/jf500861ppubmed: 24829058google scholar: lookup
  16. SOFT/AAFS Forensic toxicology laboratory guidelines, Society of Forensic Toxicologists/American Academy of Forensic Sciences (2006). http://www.soft-tox.org/files/Guidelines_2006_Final.pdf. Accessed 29 May 2016.
  17. Peters FT, Hartung M, Herbold M, Schmitt G, Daldrup T, Musshoff F. Appendix B to the GTFCh Guidelines for Quality Assurance in Forensic-Toxicological Analyses. Requirements for the validation of analytical methods. Toxichem Krimtech 2009;76:185.
  18. Musshoff F, Skopp G, Pragst F, Sachs H. Appendix C of the GTFCh Guidelines for Quality Control in Forensic-Toxicological Analyses. Quality requirements for the analysis of hair samples. Toxichem Krimtech 2009;76:209–16.
  19. Matuszewski BK, Constanzer ML, Chavez-Eng CM. Strategies for the assessment of matrix effect in quantitative bioanalytical methods based on HPLC-MS/MS.. Anal Chem 2003 Jul 1;75(13):3019-30.
    doi: 10.1021/ac020361spubmed: 12964746google scholar: lookup
  20. Henderson GL. Mechanisms of drug incorporation into hair.. Forensic Sci Int 1993 Dec;63(1-3):19-29.
    doi: 10.1016/0379-0738(93)90256-Apubmed: 8138221google scholar: lookup
  21. Pötsch L, Skopp G, Moeller MR. Influence of pigmentation on the codeine content of hair fibers in guinea pigs.. J Forensic Sci 1997 Nov;42(6):1095-8.
    doi: 10.1520/JFS14266Jpubmed: 9397552google scholar: lookup
  22. Nakahara Y, Takahashi K, Kikura R. Hair analysis for drugs of abuse. X. Effect of physicochemical properties of drugs on the incorporation rates into hair.. Biol Pharm Bull 1995 Sep;18(9):1223-7.
    doi: 10.1248/bpb.18.1223pubmed: 8845810google scholar: lookup
  23. Gaillard Y, Pépin G. Testing hair for pharmaceuticals.. J Chromatogr B Biomed Sci Appl 1999 Oct 15;733(1-2):231-46.
    doi: 10.1016/S0378-4347(99)00263-7pubmed: 10572983google scholar: lookup
  24. Rosychuk RA. Noninflammatory, nonpruritic alopecia of horses.. Vet Clin North Am Equine Pract 2013 Dec;29(3):629-41.
    doi: 10.1016/j.cveq.2013.09.005pubmed: 24267680google scholar: lookup

Citations

This article has been cited 2 times.
  1. Kim YG, Hwang J, Choi H, Lee S. Development of a Column-Switching HPLC-MS/MS Method and Clinical Application for Determination of Ethyl Glucuronide in Hair in Conjunction with AUDIT for Detecting High-Risk Alcohol Consumption.. Pharmaceutics 2018 Jul 4;10(3).
    doi: 10.3390/pharmaceutics10030084pubmed: 29973564google scholar: lookup
  2. Madry MM, Spycher BS, Kupper J, Fuerst A, Baumgartner MR, Kraemer T, Naegeli H. Erratum to: Long-term monitoring of opioid, sedative and anti-inflammatory drugs in horse hair using a selective and sensitive LC-MS/MS procedure.. BMC Vet Res 2016 Jun 22;12(1):122.
    doi: 10.1186/s12917-016-0746-0pubmed: 27334708google scholar: lookup
Subscribe to our newsletter
Join 99,344 horse owners like you who receive our email updates on horse health and nutrition.