Abstract:

This study aimed to investigate the distribution prolfiles of residues of the antiviral drug ribavirin in chicken
tissues, whose use has been banned. Ribavirin at the dose of 30 mg/kg was continuously administered to Jinghong laying
hens. The animals were executed and chicken muscle and liver samples were collected at different time intervals for the
detection of ribavirin content by ultra performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS). The
calibration curve for ribavirin in chicken muscle was linear in the concentration range of 5.0–200 μg/L with a correlation
coefficients (R2) of above 0.99, and the limit of detection (LOD) was 1.20 μg/kg. The calibration curve for ribavirin in
chicken liver was linear in the concentration range of 10.0–500 μg/L with a correlation coefficients (R2) of above 0.98, and
the the limit of detection (LOD) was 1.54 μg/kg. At three spiked concentration levels, the recoveries of ribavirin ranged from
83.5% to 120.6%, and the precision expressed as relative standard deviation (RSD) ranged from 0.7%–9.1%, which met
the basic quantitative requirements. The results showed that ribavirin in chicken liver was rapidly eliminated and the final
detection time was 24 h, while the elimination rate for muscle was relatively slow, and the final detection time was 60 h after
oral administration. Finally, there was no accumulation of ribavirin residue in both tissues.

Key words: chicken muscle, liver, ribavirin, ultra performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry, residue distribution pattern