HPLC-MS/MS analysis of steroid hormones in environmental water samples

• Published in: Drug testing and analysis 2016-01, Vol.8 (1), p.123-127
• Main Authors: Avar, P., Maasz, G., Takács, P., Lovas, S., Zrinyi, Z., Svigruha, R., Takátsy, A., Tóth, L. G., Pirger, Z.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Androstenes - analysis; Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid - methods; drospirenone; Environmental Monitoring - methods; Fresh Water - analysis; Lake Balaton; levonorgestrel; Levonorgestrel - analysis; Limit of Detection; progesterone; Progesterone - analysis; progestins; Solid Phase Extraction - methods; Tandem Mass Spectrometry - methods; Water Pollutants, Chemical - analysis
• ISSN: 1942-7603; 1942-7611
• DOI: 10.1002/dta.1829

Today, freshwaters, such as lakes and rivers, are subject to controlled pollution. Steroid hormones are chemically very stable highly lipophilic molecules. Their biological properties have a strong impact on the endocrine regulation of species. Steroids have estrogenic, androgenic, thyroidogenic or progestogenic effects and based on them, they could disturb the physiological mechanisms of freshwater species. We focused on progestins as they are the main active ingredients of contraceptive pharmaceuticals. Progestins have been shown to impair reproduction in fish, amphibians, and mollusks at low ng/L concentrations. Certain progestins, such as levonorgestrel (LNG) have androgenic properties also. We selected the most used active substances drospirenone (DRO), LNG, and progesterone (PRG) and then developed and optimized a liquid chromatographic‐mass spectrometric method with solid‐phase extraction to measure them. Using our sensitive method (LOQ 0.03–0.11 ng/L) we could measure steroids even between 0.1 and 1 ng/L. Analyzing freshwater samples from the Lake Balaton catchment area, we found influents where the concentration of these hormones was 0.26–4.30 (DRO), 0.85–3.40 (LNG), and 0.23–13.67 (PRG) ng/L. Out of 53 collecting places, 21 contained measurable progestin levels, which clearly demonstrates the applicability of our method, legitimates toxicology experiments with effected species, and indicates monitoring efforts. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. A new SPE HPLC‐MS method was developed to measure progestins and applied for the analysis of freshwater samples from Lake Balaton.