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Investigation on Gabapentin Residues in Eggs from Free-Range Hens Exposed to Saline Slags from Pharmaceutical Industry

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Abstract

A simple, sensitive and rapid liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry method (LC–MS/MS) was developed and validated to monitor the presence of gabapentin as environmental contaminant in albumen and yolk of eggs from grazing flocks exposed to open air stored saline wastes from pharmaceutical industry. The method involved a simple liquid extraction followed by a gradient elution with formic acid 0.2 % and acetonitrile in reverse phase. ESI ionization was performed in positive ion mode. The tandem mass spectrometer was operated in multiple reaction monitoring mode. The calibration curves were linear in the concentration range from 5 to 400 ng/g for the two matrices with correlation coefficients that exceeded 0.990. The limits of quantitation were 12.0 and 14.8 ng/g in albumen and yolk, respectively. Results are discussed in light of the pharmacokinetics of gabapentin in experimentally exposed hens, accounting for the top soil intake in such free grazing animals.

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Acknowledgments

Grant from National Ministry of Health 2009 – ENVIFOOD project – is acknowledged.

Conflict of interest

The authors declare they have no conflicts of interest.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Dipartimento di Chimica e Farmacia, Università di Sassari, Via Muroni 23, 07100, Sassari, Italy

    Maria Nieddu, Lucia Burrai & Gianpiero Boatto

  2. Dipartimento di Medicina Veterinaria, Università di Sassari, Via Vienna 2, 07100, Sassari, Italy

    Elena Baralla & Maria Piera Demontis

  3. Unità di Chimica Tossicologica, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, V.le Regina Elena 299, 00161, Rome, Italy

    Maurizio Fiori & Gianfranco Brambilla

Authors
  1. Maria Nieddu
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  2. Elena Baralla
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  3. Lucia Burrai
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  4. Maria Piera Demontis
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  5. Maurizio Fiori
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  6. Gianfranco Brambilla
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  7. Gianpiero Boatto
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Correspondence to Gianpiero Boatto.

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Nieddu, M., Baralla, E., Burrai, L. et al. Investigation on Gabapentin Residues in Eggs from Free-Range Hens Exposed to Saline Slags from Pharmaceutical Industry. Bull Environ Contam Toxicol 92, 662–666 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00128-014-1250-5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00128-014-1250-5

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