Hormone abuse in sports: the antidoping perspective

Abstract

Since ancient times, unethical athletes have attempted to gain an unfair competitive advantage through the use of doping substances. A list of doping substances and methods banned in sports is published yearly by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA). A substance or method might be included in the List if it fulfills at least two of the following criteria: enhances sports performance; represents a risk to the athlete's health; or violates the spirit of sports. This list, constantly updated to reflect new developments in the pharmaceutical industry as well as doping trends, enumerates the drug types and methods prohibited in and out of competition. Among the substances included are steroidal and peptide hormones and their modulators, stimulants, glucocorticosteroids, beta2-agonists, diuretics and masking agents, narcotics, and cannabinoids. Blood doping, tampering, infusions, and gene doping are examples of prohibited methods indicated on the List. From all these, hormones constitute by far the highest number of adverse analytical findings reported by antidoping laboratories. Although to date most are due to anabolic steroids, the advent of molecular biology techniques has made recombinant peptide hormones readily available. These substances are gradually changing the landscape of doping trends. Peptide hormones like erythropoietin (EPO), human growth hormone (hGH), insulin, and insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-I) are presumed to be widely abused for performance enhancement. Furthermore, as there is a paucity of techniques suitable for their detection, peptide hormones are all the more attractive to dishonest athletes. This article will overview the use of hormones as doping substances in sports, focusing mainly on peptide hormones as they represent a pressing challenge to the current fight against doping. Hormones and hormones modulators being developed by the pharmaceutical industry, which could emerge as new doping substances, are also discussed.

Detection of EPO injections using a rapid lateral flow isoform test

“…Unfortunately the detection of doping with recombinant proteins is difficult [2] since they only possess minor structural differences as compared to their endogenous forms. Other challenges include that only small concentration of, for example, injected rhEPO is required in order to increase exercise performance [3] and the clearance rate from the body is very high [4].…”

Mass spectrometry and illicit drug testing: analytical challenges of the anti-doping laboratories

“…Indeed, the 1990s had also opened a new frontier in doping and anti-doping: in that period the abuse of peptide hormones and, more generally, of biologically active macromolecules, started to accompany the traditional low-molecular-weight doping substances, due to the increased availability of the synthetic macromolecules, produced mainly by recombinant DNA technologies (reviewed in [17]). human chorionic gonadotropin, erythropoietin and human growth hormones were reportedly illicitly used by the athletes respectively to alter the urinary steroid profile (making more problematic the detection of the intake of T and/or its precursors), to improve the oxygen carrying capacity of the blood, and to achieve a generic anabolic effect without the risk of being caught at the test.…”

Growth Hormone in Sport: Beyond Beijing 2008

“…While the majority of doping agents are low-weight pharmaceuticals easily excreted in urine, exogenous administration of hGH has to be investigated in blood (serum or plasma) samples. 6 However, due to the pulsatile secretion of hGH into circulation and many factors and conditions that affect its concentration (see below), the simple measurement of hGH in blood has proven unsuitable in the detection of its abuse.…”