Abstract
Metformin is a widely prescribed oral antihyperglycemic agent and currently a first-line medication in the treatment of human type 2 diabetes, with a total of 92 million US prescriptions in 2022. The daily dose per human can be as much as 2.5 grams/day which is excreted largely unchanged into the environment. Metformin is chemically stable and a widely distributed environmental substance. Metformin therefore has the potential to be identified at trace levels in equine blood and urine samples as a result of random exposure to environmental metformin. Given these circumstances we have reviewed the scientific literature and calculated an irrelevant blood/plasma/serum concentration of metformin of 5 nanograms/ml. We now therefore propose this plasma concentration of metformin as an interim Screening Limit of Detection (SLOD) for metformin, below which concentration a blood/plasma/serum identification of metformin should not be considered appropriate for regulatory action.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 130-136 |
| Number of pages | 7 |
| Journal | Pferdeheilkunde |
| Volume | 40 |
| Issue number | 2 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Mar 2024 |
Bibliographical note
Publisher Copyright:© 2024 Hippiatrika Verlagsgesellschaf. All rights reserved.
Funding
This research was made possible by research support from The Equine Health and Welfare Alliance, Inc, Versailles, Kentucky, and the United States Trotting Association, Columbus, OH. Further support came from the National Institute of Food and Agriculture, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Hatch Program under project KY014066 Accession Number 7001029. Other support includes research support from The National Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association and the Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Ontario, Canada; Charles Town, WV; Florida, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Tampa Bay Downs, Florida, Texas, Washington State, and West Virginia Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Associations. Published as paper #515 from T Tobin and the Equine Pharmacology, Therapeutics and Toxicology Program at the Maxwell H. Gluck Equine Research Center and Department of Veterinary Science, University of Kentucky. Funding sources provided no role in the design of the study, nor in the collection, analysis, and interpretation of all presented and referenced data.
| Funders | Funder number |
|---|---|
| US Department of Agriculture National Institute of Food and Agriculture, Agriculture and Food Research Initiative | |
| National Horsemen's | |
| Department of Veterinary Science, University of Kentucky | |
| United States Trotting Association | |
| U.S. Department of Agriculture | 7001029, KY014066 |
| West Virginia Horsemen's | 515 |
Keywords
- antihyperglycemic agent
- environmental contamination
- Metformin
- racehorses
- Screening Limit of Detection
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Equine
