New approaches to detect cortisol administration in the horse.
Abstract: The cortisol threshold concentration of 1.0 microg/ml in horse urine adopted by the International Federation of the racing Authorities in 1994 is specific. However, an increase in the sensitivity for the detection of cortisol administration would be helpful. Previous studies have shown that 20beta-dihydrocortisol concentration in urine would be a good indicator of cortisol administration. The purpose of the present work was to estimate the population parameters and the critical values of 20beta-dihydrocortisol and 20beta-dihydrocortisone concentration in urine compared with that of cortisol. Using the same probability (1.1 x 10(-4)) which was used for the establishment of the official cortisol threshold, the critical values of 5000 ng/ml for 20beta-dihydrocortisol and 350 ng/ml for 20beta-dihydrocortisone were obtained. Considering these 2 critical values for 20beta-dihydrocortisol and 20beta-dihydrocortisone, the time during which a horse could be declared positive is significantly increased.
Publication Date: 1999-08-24 PubMed ID: 10454084DOI: 10.1111/j.2042-3306.1999.tb03817.xGoogle Scholar: Lookup
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- Journal Article
Summary
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This research article discusses the development of a more sensitive method to detect the administration of cortisol in horses, by focusing on the presence of 20beta-dihydrocortisol and 20beta-dihydrocortisone in urine.
Testing Methodology for Cortisol Detection
- The study examines the detection of cortisol, a hormone naturally produced in horses which can also be administered as a performance enhancer in competitive racing.
- Currently, the acceptable cortisol threshold in horse urine is 1.0 microgram per milliliter, this standard was set by The International Federation of the racing authorities.
- However, the researchers aim to improve this method’s sensitivity by instead tracking 20beta-dihydrocortisol and 20beta-dihydrocortisone, compounds that occur when cortisol is broken down in the body.
Detection of Cortisol Indicators
- Prior research suggested that 20beta-dihydrocortisol concentration in urine could be an effective marker of cortisol usage in horses, so the researchers in this study used it as the basis of their testing method.
- The article details the process of determining the “critical values”, or thresholds, of 20beta-dihydrocortisol and 20beta-dihydrocortisone in horse urine that would indicate the administration of cortisol.
- They used the same odds (probability of 1.1 x 10-4) used for setting the official cortisol threshold to calculate these critical values.
- As a result, the researchers obtained critical values of 5000 nanogram per milliliter for 20beta-dihydrocortisol and 350 nanogram per milliliter for 20beta-dihydrocortisone.
Impact and Benefits of the New Approach
- By including these two critical values in testing, the study suggests that the window of time during which a horse testing positive for cortisol administration can be significantly extended.
- This suggests that this method could provide a more accurate and reliable indicator of improper cortisol use in horse racing, offering a feasible and efficient advance over existing testing methods.
Cite This Article
APA
Popot MA, Lacabaratz E, Garcia P, Laroute V, Bonnaire Y, Toutain PL, Cowan DA.
(1999).
New approaches to detect cortisol administration in the horse.
Equine Vet J, 31(4), 278-284.
https://doi.org/10.1111/j.2042-3306.1999.tb03817.x Publication
Researcher Affiliations
- L.A.B., Chatenay Malabry, France.
MeSH Terms
- Administration, Oral
- Analysis of Variance
- Animals
- Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid / veterinary
- Cortisone / analogs & derivatives
- Cortisone / urine
- Doping in Sports
- Female
- Horses / urine
- Hydrocortisone / administration & dosage
- Hydrocortisone / analogs & derivatives
- Hydrocortisone / pharmacokinetics
- Hydrocortisone / urine
- Injections, Intravenous / veterinary
- Male
- Mass Spectrometry / veterinary
- Physical Conditioning, Animal
- Reference Values
- Sensitivity and Specificity
Citations
This article has been cited 2 times.- Tou K, Cawley A, Bowen C, Sornalingam K, Fu S. Measurements of hydrocortisone and cortisone for longitudinal profiling of equine plasma by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. Drug Test Anal 2022 May;14(5):943-952.
- Morgan RA, Beck KR, Nixon M, Homer NZM, Crawford AA, Melchers D, Houtman R, Meijer OC, Stomby A, Anderson AJ, Upreti R, Stimson RH, Olsson T, Michoel T, Cohain A, Ruusalepp A, Schadt EE, Björkegren JLM, Andrew R, Kenyon CJ, Hadoke PWF, Odermatt A, Keen JA, Walker BR. Carbonyl reductase 1 catalyzes 20β-reduction of glucocorticoids, modulating receptor activation and metabolic complications of obesity. Sci Rep 2017 Sep 6;7(1):10633.
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