The chemical synthesis of naturally occurring corticosteroids has led to the generation of artificial corticosteroids that are used in therapeutic veterinary drugs. Many of these drugs are also used illegally as growth promoters particularly in cattle, often in combination with J-agonists. Dexamethasone, Flumethasone and Betamethasone all belong to this group of drugs that are also known as glucocorticosteriods. The European Union has banned the use of corticosteroids administration for fattening purposes in animals.
The Randox Food Diagnostics Corticosteroids ELISA test kit offers excellent limits of detection for the screening of growth promoter residues across a range of food and veterinary matrices.
Corticosteroids ELISA
Assay
|
Compound
|
% Cross Reactivity
|
LOD (ppb)
|
Corticosteroid
|
Dexamethasone
|
100
|
Tissue 0.25
Urine 2.5
Urine (IAC) 0.1
Serum 0.1
|
Dexamethasone 21 Acetate
|
162
|
Dexamethasone 21 Phospate
|
3.6
|
Flumethasone
|
Flumethasone
|
50
|
Tissue 0.5
Urine 5.0
Urine (IAC) 0.2
Serum 0.2
|
Betamethasone
|
Betamethasone
|
43
|
Tissue 0.6
Urine 5.8
Urine (IAC) 0.25
Serum 0.23
|
Betamethasone 21 Acetate
|
73
|
Betamethasone 21 Phosphate
|
2.0
|
Triamcionlone
|
1.0
|
Prednisolone
|
1.7
|
Cortisol
|
<0.5
|
Cortisone
|
<0.5
|