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Ractopamine is a phenethanolamine belonging to a class of drugs known as Beta-Adrenergic agonists (beta agonists) it has been found to both increase muscle growth and decrease fat deposition. Due to the nature and growth promoting properties of this group of drugs they are often used illicitly by livestock producers in particular to increase the lean meat to fat ratio and improve feed conversion efficiency in cattle ⁽¹⁾.

Neutrophil Gelatinase Associated Lipocalin (NGAL) is a member of the lipocalin family ⁽¹⁾ and is secreted from specific granules of human neutrophils upon activation of the cells. ⁽²⁾ The lipocalin family consists of more than 25 members ^(4), each member is characterised by its ability to bind small lipophilic substances in their hydrophobic core. ^{(1, 4)} Lipocalins tend to associate with other proteins and as its name suggests, NGAL has been found to associate with gelatinase ⁽¹⁾ however it mainly exists as monomeric and homodimeric forms. (1) The lipocalin family are not specific to just one ligand but can bind several different ligands. ⁽⁴⁾

Malachite green is a cationic triphenylmathane dye with fungicidal properties; as such it has been used by the aquaculture industry to treat fungal infections in fish for many years throughout Europe and the rest of the world (¹). Recent studies however have highlighted concerns over the toxicity of Malachite Green reporting it can lead to carcinogenesis, mutagenesis, chromosomal fractures, teratogenicity, and even respiratory toxicity. Claims have also been made that the toxicity increases with exposure in time, temperature and concentration. (²)

Fatty acid binding proteins are a family of small, highly conserved, cytoplasmic proteins approximately 14-15kDa that bind long chain fatty acids as well as bilirubin, organic anions and other small hydrophobic molecules.

 

Their primary role is to regulate fatty acid uptake and aid intracellular transport. (¹) To date nine different fatty acid binding proteins have been identified and named either by the tissue of where they were first discovered or numerically by gene. (^1-9)

Chloramphenicol is a broad spectrum antibiotic used by the veterinary industry to treat bacterial infections. 

 

It has been used extensively in apiculture to treat Bees with bacterial brood diseases such as American Foulbrood (¹) it has also been used in cattle to treat bacterial/viral pneumonias and pasteurella infections. (²)

Beta-agonists are a group of compounds that have a stimulatory effect on the b-adrenergic receptors present on the surface of most mammalian cells. The group includes the following drugs:

 

Clenbuterol

Cimaterol

Isoxsuprine

Ractopamine

Ritodrine

Salbutamol

Salmeterol

Zilpaterol

 

Beta-agonists have been therapeutically used in both human and veterinary medicine as bronchodilatory agents however they are also known to have growth promoting properties which lead to an increase in the lean meat to fat ratio and an improvement in feed conversion efficiency of cattle etc. It is therefore no surprise that since the ban on anabolic steroids, Beta Agonists have been increasingly abused in cattle and other food producing animals. (¹)