Myocardial Toxicity in a Group of Greyhounds Administered Ractopamine

Ractopamine, a synthetic β2-adrenoceptor agonist, is widely used as a feed additive in the United States to promote a reduction in body fat and enhance muscle growth in cattle, pigs, and turkeys. It has the potential for illegal use in show and racing animals because it may affect performance via it...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inVeterinary pathology Vol. 49; no. 3; pp. 569 - 573
Main Authors Yaeger, M. J., Mullin, K., Ensley, S. M., Ware, W. A., Slavin, R. E.
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Los Angeles, CA SAGE Publications 01.05.2012
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Summary:Ractopamine, a synthetic β2-adrenoceptor agonist, is widely used as a feed additive in the United States to promote a reduction in body fat and enhance muscle growth in cattle, pigs, and turkeys. It has the potential for illegal use in show and racing animals because it may affect performance via its β-adrenergic agonist properties or anabolic activities. Nine greyhounds were orally administered 1 mg/kg of ractopamine to investigate the ability to detect the drug in urine. Postdosing, 7 of 9 dogs developed cardiac arrhythmias and had elevated troponin levels indicating myocardial damage. One dog necropsied 4 days postdosing had massive myocardial necrosis, mild to focally moderate skeletal muscle necrosis, and widespread segmental arterial mediolysis. A second dog necropsied 17 days postdosing had mild myocardial necrosis and fibrosis. Scattered arteries exhibited segmental medial and perimedial fibromuscular dysplasia. This is the first reported case of arterial, cardiac, and skeletal muscle damage associated with ractopamine.
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ISSN:0300-9858
1544-2217
DOI:10.1177/0300985811424752