Monitoring of selective androgen receptor modulators in bovine muscle tissue by ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry

Selective androgen receptor modulators (SARMs) are non-steroidal compounds widely reported as drugs of abuse in human and animal sports, with potential for misuse as growth promoters in animal-based food production. In this study, a first analytical methodology to simultaneous screen for a panel of emerging SARMs in bovine muscle was developed, validated (CCβ values from 0.5-5 ng g^-1), and applied to detect 15 structurally diverse compounds from nine SARM families. Muscle samples (200 mg) were homogenised in extraction solvent (MeCN:H₂O, 4:1, v/v) before clean-up (end-capped C₁₈ dSPE), defatting (n-hexane pre-saturated with MeCN partitioning) and concentration prior to UHPLC-MS/MS analysis. In the absence of incurred bovine muscle, method applicability was demonstrated by the analysis of rodent muscle tissue. The developed screening assay serves as a rapid, simple and cost-effective tool for surveillance monitoring of SARM abuse in livestock production systems as a pre-emptive measure ensuring food safety.