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In horses, the benzodiazepine diazepam (DIA) is used as sedative for pre-medication or as an anxiolytic to facilitate horse examinations. As the sedative effects can also be abused for doping purposes, DIA is prohibited in equine sports. DIA is extensively metabolized to several active metabolites such as nordazepam, temazepam and oxazepam (OXA). For veterinarians, taking into account the detection times of DIA and its active metabolites is needed for minimizing the risk of an anti-doping rule violation. Therefore, a pharmacokinetic study on 6 horses was conducted using a single intravenous (IV) dose of 0.2 mg/kg DIA Plasma and urine samples were collected at specified intervals until 16 and 26 days post-administration, respectively. Samples were analysed by a sensitive liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization/tandem mass spectrometry method. DIA showed a triphasic elimination pattern in the horse. The mean plasma clearance of DIA was 5.9 ml/min/kg, and the plasma elimination half-life in the terminal phase was 19.9 h. Applying the Toutain model approach, an effective plasma concentration of DIA was estimated at 24 ng/ml, and irrelevant plasma concentration (IPC) and irrelevant urine concentration (IUC) were computed to 0.047 and 0.1 ng/ml, respectively. The detection time according to the European Horserace Scientific Liaison Committee (EHSLC), that is the time for which observed DIA plasma concentrations of all investigated horses were below the IPC was 10 days. Using Monte Carlo Simulations, it was estimated that concentrations of DIA in plasma would fall below the IPC 18 days after the DIA administration for 90% of horses. However, in the present study, a single administration of DIA could be detected for 24 days in urine via the presence of OXA, its dominant metabolite.

The reasons for this prospective experimental study were to determine a dosing scheme with loading and maintenance dose of aspirin inducing inhibition of platelet function measured by whole blood impedance aggregometry. Ten horses received aspirin orally in the morning with one loading dose of 4.7-5 mg/kg and maintenance doses of 1-1.3 mg/kg daily the following 4 days. Aggregometries (COLtest, ASPItest, ADPtest) and serum salicylic acid were measured. ASPItest showed significant difference in inhibition at 24 and 48 hr (p

Methylxanthines positives in competition samples have challenged doping control laboratories and racing jurisdictions since methylxanthines are naturally occurring prohibited substances and often constituents of feed. For theobromine, an international threshold (renamed in International Residue Limit, IRL) of 2 µg/mL in urine has been established. On the basis of the data presented herein, a threshold or rather an IRL for theobromine in plasma of 0.3 µg/mL was proposed and was thereupon approved by the International Federation of Horseracing Authorities (IFHA). Official recommendations for reporting caffeine and theophylline are still lacking. The aim of the study was to investigate IRLs for theobromine in blood and for caffeine and theophylline in blood and urine. Therefore, a set of six administrations were carried out including both single i.v. and single oral administrations of caffeine, theobromine and theophylline. Plasma and urine concentrations were determined using a validated liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). Applying the Toutain model approach an effective plasma concentration (EPC) of caffeine was estimated at 3.05 µg/mL, irrelevant concentrations in blood (IPC) and urine (IUC) approached 6 and 12 ng/mL, respectively. EPC of theobromine was calculated with 3.80 µg/mL, and irrelevant concentrations of theobromine were determined at 8 ng/mL in plasma and at 142 ng/mL in urine. Toutain modelling of the theophylline data produced an EPC, IPC, and IUC of 3.20 µg/mL, 6 ng/mL, and 75 ng/mL, respectively. The obtained irrelevant concentrations were used to postulate IRLs for theobromine in plasma and for caffeine and theophylline in plasma and urine. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Rationale The issue of illicit performance enhancement spans human and animal sport in presumably equal measure, with prohibited substances and methods of doping conveying both ways. Due to the proven capability of unbound ionic cobalt (Co2+) to stimulate erythropoiesis in humans, both human and equine anti-doping regulations have listed cobalt as a banned substance, and in particular in horse drug testing, thresholds for cobalt concentrations applying to plasma and urine have been suggested or established. Recent reports about the finding of substantial amounts of undeclared nickel in arguably licit performance- and recovery-supporting products raised the question whether the ionic species of this transition metal (Ni2+), which exhibits similar prolyl hydroxylase inhibiting properties to Co2+, has been considered as a substitute for cobalt in doping regimens. Methods Therefore, a pilot study with 200 routine post-competition doping control horse urine samples collected from animals participating in equestrian, gallop, and trotting in Europe was conducted to provide a first dataset on equine urinary Ni2+ concentrations. All specimens were analyzed by conventional inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) to yield quantitative data for soluble nickel. Results Concentrations ranging from below the assay's limit of quantification (LOQ, 0.5 ng/mL) up to 33.4 ng/mL with a mean value (± standard deviation) of 6.1 (±5.1) ng/mL were determined for the total nickel content. Conclusions In horses, nickel is considered a micronutrient and feed supplements containing nickel are available; hence, follow-up studies are deemed warranted to consolidate potential future threshold levels concerning urine and blood nickel concentrations in horses using larger sets of samples for both matrices and to provide in-depth insights by conducting elimination studies with soluble Ni2+-salt species. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the influence of respiratory tract disease (ie, recurrent airway obstruction [RAO]) and mode of inhalation on detectability of inhaled budesonide in equine plasma and urine samples. ANIMALS 16 horses (8 healthy control horses and 8 horses affected by RAO, as determined by results of clinical examination, blood gas analysis, bronchoscopy, and cytologic examination of bronchoalveolar lavage fluid). PROCEDURES 4 horses of each group inhaled budesonide (3 μg/kg) twice daily for 10 days while at rest, and the remaining 4 horses of each group inhaled budesonide during lunging exercise. Plasma and urine samples were obtained 4 to 96 hours after inhalation and evaluated for budesonide and, in urine samples, the metabolites 6β-hydroxybudesonide and 16α-hydroxyprednisolone. RESULTS Detected concentrations of budesonide were significantly higher at all time points for RAO-affected horses, compared with concentrations for the control horses. All samples of RAO-affected horses contained budesonide concentrations above the limit of detection at 96 hours after inhalation, whereas this was found for only 2 control horses. Detected concentrations of budesonide were higher, but not significantly so, at all time points in horses that inhaled budesonide during exercise, compared with concentrations for inhalation at rest. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE Results of this study indicated that the time interval between inhalation of a glucocorticoid and participation in sporting events should be increased when inhalation treatment is administered during exercise to horses affected by respiratory tract disease.