DETERMINATION OF MINOCYCLINE RESIDUES IN CHICKENS USING HPLC

Residues of veterinary drugs in poultry meat have serious health effects on humans (e.g., increase antimicrobial resistance, carcinogenicity, mutagenicity and hypersensitivity) which make the control of veterinary drug residues an important parameter in ensuring consumer protection. This work was performed to quantitatively determine minocycline residues in different tissues of chickens (kidneys, liver, muscles and fat) and sera following multiple oral doses of the drug using High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC). Moreover, the study aimed to estimate the withdrawal time of this drug in chicken tissues. Twenty five healthy chicks (Cobb 500) were used. Twenty one chickens were given minocycline directly into the stomach at a dosage of 7 mg/kg body weight once daily for five successive days. Samples were analyzed at 1st, 3rd, 7th, 14th, 21st and 28th day after last oral dose. The results indicated a widespread distribution of minocycline in the tissue samples, which remained within the detectable limit till the 3rd day (49.20-135.20 mu g/kg) in all tested tissues. While in kidneys, minocycline remained till the 7th day (11.80 mu g/kg) following the last oral administration of the drug. Therefore, it is recommended to pay attention to the proper withdrawal periods before marketing to ensure the hygienic suitability of broilers edibles for safe human consumption.