Authors : Gianfranco Brambilla , Maurizio Fiori , Cinzia Civitareale and Alfredo Ballerini
Abstract: Phytosterols have been recently proposed as nutraceutics both in human and animal nutrition, because their influence on lipids metabolism. The reported possibility that phytosterols microbial fermentation could lead to the production of boldione as boldenone pro-hormone, pulsed us to set up two in vitro experiments for the characterisation of phytosterols gut fermentation products and their hepatic metabolites, by LC-MS/MS. A Todd-Hewitt broth (10 ml), enriched with corn oil as natural dietary source of phytosterols, was inoculated with 100 mg of calf faeces and aliquots drawn after 24h, 48h and 72h of micro-aerobic incubation. After SPE extraction, LC-MS/MS analysis revealed the presence of Boldione in the 24h fraction at a concentration of 4 ?g , while alpha and beta Boldenone were present in equimolar ratio in the 48h fraction at 12 ng each. Nor Boldione neither Boldenone were detected at 72h . The ether extract of the 48h fermented broth was further submitted to microsomial calf liver incubation. A not described major metabolite in a isomeric form, with a m/z 285 as protonated molecule has been found and its structure proposed . Such metabolite could be useful to trace in urine the origin of boldenone as metabolite from an alimentary source.
Gianfranco Brambilla , Maurizio Fiori , Cinzia Civitareale and Alfredo Ballerini , 2003. Characterisation of In vitro Gut Fermentation Products and their Metabolites from Corn Oil as Possible Source of Boldenone in Calves Nutrition . Journal of Animal and Veterinary Advances, 2: 462-469.