A NOTE ON THE CONCENTRATIONS OF STEROIDAL RESIDUES IN TISSUES OF MATURE FEMALE SHEEP IMPLANTED WITH TRENBOLONE ACETATE

Thirty-two Blackface female mature sheep weighing 45 kg on average wer e blocked by weight and randomly allocated 60 days before slaughter to be untreated controls (C) or subcutaneously implanted with 20 (TA1), 40 (TA2) or 60 (TA3) mg trenbolone acetate (TBA). Samples of blood wer e collected throughout the study and post-mortem samples of selected b ody tissues were analysed for major steroid residues. Concentrations i n blood of 17beta-hydroxy-trenbolone (TBOH) peaked within 1 to 2 weeks of implantation and declined thereafter. Concentrations in blood of o estradiol-17beta (OE) were elevated and generally increased with incre asing dose levels of TBA. The highest concentrations of solvent extrac table residues (TBOH for group TA3) ranged from 613 ng/kg in kidney to 130 ng/kg for rib muscle. Trenbolone-17beta-glucuronide glucuronide w as detected in liver and kidney at maximum concentrations of 157 ng/kg and 94 ng/kg respectively. Implantation with TBA had no effect on con centrations of OE in any of the post-mortem tissues examined.