Study on the Marker Steroids of New Zealand Deer (Cervus elaphus var. scoticus) Velvet Antler by UPLC-MS/MS and HPLC-PDA Methods - (II)

Eleven steroid hormones (SHs: androstene-3,17-dione, estrone, ${\beta}$-estradiol, ${\alpha}$-estradiol, testosterone, dehydroepiandrosterone, $17{\acute{a}}$-hydroxyprogesterone, medroxyprogesterone, megestrol acetate, progesterone, and androsterone) were detected from New Zealand deer (Cervus elaphus var. scoticus) velvet antler (NZA, 鹿茸 ). A method for the quantification of eleven SHs was established by using ultraperformance liquid chromatography (UPLC)-MS/MS. The linearities ($R^2$ > 0.991), limits of quantification (LOQ values, 0.3 ng/mL to 23.1 ng/mL), intraday and interday precisions (relative standard deviation: RSD < 2.43%), and recovery rates (97.3% to 104.6%) for all eleven SHs were determined. In addition, a method for the quantification of three 7-oxycholesterols (7-O-CSs: 7-ketocholesterol, $7{\alpha}$-hydroxycholesterol, and $7{\beta}$-hydroxycholesterol) in the NZA was established by using an HPLC-photodiode array (PDA) method. The linearities ($R^2$ > 0.999), LOQ values (30 ng/mL to 350 ng/mL), intraday and interday precisions (RSD < 1.93%), and recovery rates (97.2% to 103.5%) for the three 7-O-CSs were determined. These quantitative methods are accurate, precise, and reproducible. As a result, it is suggested that the five steroid compounds of androstene-3,17-dione, androsterone, 7-ketocholesterol, $7{\alpha}$-hydroxycholesterol, and $7{\beta}$-hydroxycholesterol could be marker steroids of NZA. These methods can be applied to quantify or standardize the marker steroids present in NZA.