Metabolic Profiles of the Mycotoxin Zearalenone and of the Growth Promoter Zeranol in Urine, Liver, and Muscle of Heifers

A group of five heifers were fed for 84 days with 2 kg of zearalenone-contaminated oats (1370 μg/kg) resulting in an average daily intake of 2740 μg of zearalenone per animal. In a parallel experiment five heifers were implanted with two 25 mg zeranol pellets, one at the beginning of the study and one after 42 days, and fed with 2 kg of “blank” control oats (79 μg/kg, daily intake = 158 μg). A third group of five animals were also fed with 2 kg of “blank” oats and served as control. Urine samples of all animals were collected every 5−6 days during the whole period of the study. Animals of all three groups were killed 84 days after the beginning of the feeding study. Tissue samples (back, femoral region, liver, and residues of implanted pellets) were taken during post-mortem investigations. The content of zearalenone and zeranol and their metabolites in urine and tissue samples was established by an analytical method combining solid-phase extraction and high-performance liquid chromatography−tandem mass spectrometry. Urinary excretion rates of zeralenone and zeranol were calculated from these results. Keywords: Zearalenone; zeranol; α-zearalanol; metabolism; heifer; cow; feeding study