Determination of bromadiolone in pheasants and foxes by differential pulse voltammetry

Abstract

Abstract Bromadiolone, a commercially used anticoagulant rodenticide, was determined in tissues of various animals by differential pulse voltammetry with a carbon-paste electrode. Under the most suitable experimental conditions (step potential of 25 mV s−1 and 0.2 mol L−1 acetate buffer, pH 4.2), the limit of detection was 0.5 ng mL−1. The electroanalytical method was consequently used to investigate the bromadiolone transport within the food chain. Pheasants were exposed to bromadiolone and then used as feed for a fox. The average levels were 528 and 198 ng of bromadiolone per gram of fresh weight of liver of pheasant and fox, respectively. Due to the surprisingly lower content of bromadiolone in the latter, a basic biochemical analysis, particularly blood coagulation, was performed. Among the parameters studied (thrombin time, prothrombin time, activated partial thromboplastin time, and fibrinogen), there was prolongation of the prothrombin time and activated partial thromboplastin time. Keywords: BromadioloneSuperwarfarinesDifferential pulse voltammetryCyclic voltammetryCarbon-paste electrodeElectrochemistryAnimals Acknowledgements This work was supported by grants of the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports of Czech Republic (project FRVS No. 699/F4a, MSM 6215712402 and INCHEMBIOL 0021622412), Grant Agency of the Czech Republic (No. 525/04/P132). The authors thank for the statistic interpretation of results of biochemical blood analysis to MSc Pavel Kukleta from Faculty of Sciences MU, Brno, Czech Republic. Notes The co-authors of the article are holders of the Certificate issued by the Central Commission for Animal Welfare (CCAW), completed the preparation, and successfully passed the qualifying examination according to § 17 of the Act No. 246/1992 Coll. of Laws on Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, as amended.