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A robust and confirmative method was established for the determination of six acetylgestagen residues, namely, flurogestone acetate (FGA), megestrol (MA), melengestrol acetate (MGA), chlormadinone acetate (CMA), medroxyprogesterone (MPA), and hydroxyprogesterone acetate (HPA) in animal-derived matrix samples by utilizing enhanced matrix removal lipid (EMR-lipid) clean-up in combination with ultra performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS). The analytes were extracted with acetonitrile, purified with a EMR-lipid cartridge, and separated with a reversed-phase C18 column. The limit of quantification (S/N ≥ 10) for CMA, FGA, HPA, MA, and MGA in all matrices was 0.5 ng/g, and for MPA, it was 1.0 ng/g; the limit of detection (S/N ≥ 3) for CMA, FGA, HPA, MA, and MGA in all matrices was 0.1 ng/g, and for MPA, it was 0.2 ng/g. The recoveries were between 61.0% and 114.8%, and the relative standard deviations (RSDs) were below 12%. The method was calibrated in a matrix-assisted standard solution in various linear ranges for the analytes and matrices, and the correlation coefficients (R 2 ) exceeded 0.99 for all the matrices., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest We hereby confirm that this manuscript is our original work and has not been published nor has it been submitted simultaneously elsewhere. We further confirm that all authors have checked the manuscript and have agreed to the submission., (Copyright © 2021. Published by Elsevier B.V.)

Androgens and progestogens are two important groups of endocrine disrupting compounds (EDCs) which are implicated to produce severe detrimental impact over aquatic biota, even at very low concentrations of ngL(-1). For this reason, one of the major challenges to analytical chemists is the development of sensitive and selective extraction processes which allow the rapid and green determination of these emerging pollutants at low concentrations in environmental samples. Fabric phase sorptive extraction is a new, highly sensitive, efficient and solvent minimized technique which combine the advantages of sol-gel derived microextraction sorbents and the rich surface chemistry of cellulose fabric substrate. This process has several advantages such as minimum usage of organic solvents, short extraction times, small sample volumes and high analyte preconcentration factors. In this study, an extraction method based on sorptive fabric phase coupled to ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry detection (FPSE-UHPLC-MS/MS) has been developed for the determination of four progestogens and six androgens in environmental and biological samples. All the parameters involved in the extraction, such as sample volume, extraction and desorption times, desorption solvent volume and sample pH values have been optimized. The developed method provides satisfactory limits of detection (between 1.7 and 264ngL(-1)), good recoveries and low relative standard deviations (below 10% in tap and osmosis water and below 20% in wastewater and urine). Subsequently, the method was used to analyse tap water, wastewater treated with different processing technologies and urine samples. The concentrations of the detected hormones ranged from 28.3 to 227.3 ngL(-1) in water samples and from 1.1 to 3.7μgL(-1) in urine samples., (Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

A specific and sensitive method based on liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry using atmospheric pressure chemical ionization (LC-APCI-MS/MS) has been developed for the determination of gestagens in kidney fat (medroxyprogesterone acetate, megestrol acetate and melengestrol acetate). The procedure involved a clean-up procedure with gel permeation chromatography (GPC). The analytes were analyzed by reversed-phase LC-MS/MS, in positive multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) mode, acquiring two diagnostic product ions from the chosen precursor for the unambiguous confirmation of the gestagens. The method was validated at the validation level of 1.0 ng/g. The accuracy and precision of the method were satisfactory. The decision limits CCalpha ranged from 0.20 to 0.22 ng/g while the detection capabilities CCbeta ranged from 0.33 to 0.38 ng/g. The method proved to be sensitive and reliable and thus renders an appropriate mean for residue analysis studies.

A sensitive ultra-performance liquid chromatography-electrospray tandem mass spectrometry method, combined with solid-phase extraction and silica cartridge cleanup, was established for nine androgens (androstenedione, 19-nor-4-androstene-3,17-diol, androsterone, epiandrosterone, testosterone, methyltestosterone, trenbolone, nandrolone, stanozolol) and nine progestogens (progesterone, 17alpha-hydroxyprogesterone, 21alpha-hydroxyprogesterone, 6alpha-methyl-hydroxyprogesterone, 17alpha,20beta-dihydroxy-4-pregnene-3-one, megestrol acetate, norethindrone, norgestrel, medroxyprogesterone acetate) in environmental waters. For the various water matrices considered, the overall method recoveries were from 78 to 100%, and no apparent signal suppression was found. The method detection limits for the eighteen analytes in the influent, effluent and surface water samples were 0.20-50, 0.04-20 and 0.01-12 ng/L, respectively. This method was used to analyze the residual androgens and progestogens in the wastewater and surface water samples from Japan, and ten analytes (0.03 (medroxyprogesterone acetate)-1441 ng/L (androsterone)) were detected in the wastewater samples, and four analytes (0.06 (progesterone)-0.46 ng/L (androstenedione)) were detected in the surface water samples.

The use of estrogens, gestagens and androgens (EGAs) in animal fattening is prohibited in the European Community. Based on the general detection capabilities of Belgian laboratories, National Minimum Required Performance Limits (National MRPLs) for a number of EGAs have been imposed by the inspection services. Selective hyphenated techniques, e.g. GC-MS and GC-MS2, with high detection capability are needed. Beta-trenbolone, which is meant to be a "problem" molecule for GC-MS, can be detected at the 2 microg/kg level using GC-MS2. Based on the National MRPLs in different matrices, our laboratory has divided the EGAs into a class system. In this set-up, analysis of EGAs in kidney fat and meat is discussed.

In this study, a procedure for the simultaneous determination in water of six estrogens (estradiol, estriol, estrone, ethynyl estradiol, mestranol, and diethylstilbestrol) and three progestogens (progesterone, norethindrone, and levonorgestrel), selected based on their abundance in the human body, their estrogenic potency, and the extent of their use in contraceptive pills, was developed. The procedure, based on the on-line solid-phase extraction (SPE) of the water sample and subsequent analysis by liquid chromatography/diode array detection (LC/DAD), allows for the monitoring of up to 16 samples in a completely automated, unattended way. The SPE experimental conditions were optimized and the polymeric cartridge PLRP-S selected out of four different cartridges evaluated. The chromatographic separation was carried out on a LiChrospher 100 RP-18 and detection was performed at 200, 225, and 240 nm. The applicability of the method to the analysis of various environmental water samples, including drinking water, groundwater, surface water and sewage treatment plant effluents, was evaluated. Method detection limits were in the range 10-20 ng/l. The method precision and accuracy were satisfactory with recovery percentages ranging from 96 to 111% and relative standard deviations lower than 3%. The technique is also considerably cheap, fast, and easy, and, therefore, very adequate for routing monitoring. To the authors' knowledge it constitutes the first work describing a fully automated, on-line methodology for the continuous monitoring of these compounds in water.