Isotope ratio mass spectrometry analysis of the oxidation products of the main and minor metabolites of hydrocortisone and cortisone for antidoping controls

Development of mass spectrometry-based methods for the detection of 11-ketotestosterone and 11-ketodihydrotestosterone

The anabolic properties of 11-hydroxyandrostenedione (OHA4) and its physiologically active metabolites 11-ketotestosterone (KT) and 11-ketodihydrotestosterone (KDHT) have been discussed in several recent publications. Especially KT has become readily available via internet-based providers. No doping control methods for the detection of KT or KDHT exist, neither on the initial testing procedure level nor as confirmatory assay. Probing for the misuse of adrenosterone, the prohormone of OHA4, has already been addressed, and the suggested marker for its misuse was mainly the urinary concentration of 11-hydroxyandrosterone (OHA). In addition, for confirmation purposes, the carbon isotope ratios (CIR) were taken into consideration. The urinary concentration of OHA is highly variable, and the endogenous dilution after exogenous administration may therefore be considerable; hence, described approaches resulted in short detection times. In this study, the human metabolism of KT was investigated in order to provide additional means for the detection of KT and its prohormone OHA4. Two volunteers (one female and one male) orally administered 20 mg of KT each, and urine samples were collected for 5 days. Urinary concentrations of KT and its metabolites were investigated, and a reference population encompassing 220 male and female athletes was investigated in order to elucidate preliminary thresholds. As confirmation procedure, an isotope ratio mass spectrometry-based method was developed in order to determine the CIR of KT and relevant metabolites. The developed methods enabled the detection of exogenous KT for more than 20 h after a single oral administration, which is comparable to a single oral testosterone administration.

Implementation of AICAR analysis by GC-C-IRMS for anti-doping purposes

AICAR (5-aminoimidazole-4-carboxamide-1-β-D-ribofuranoside), is a naturally occurring substance which is part to the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) Prohibited List. It is claimed to improve physical performance when administered as a supplement. As for other endogenous compounds such as steroids, the gas chromatography-combustion-isotope ratio mass spectrometry (GC-C-IRMS) analysis remains an efficient tool to differentiate endogenous substances from exogenous ones. A protocol was described in the literature for the analysis of AICAR by GC-C-IRMS. The aim of the present study was to implement this protocol in our laboratory and to propose solutions to avoid the difficulties encountered. The first point discussed in this study is the derivatization step. Due to the structure of the AICAR molecule, conventional derivatization for GC-C-IRMS such as acetylation could not be applied and silylation was preferred. The improvement of the derivatives stability was achieved thanks to several derivatization conditions tested. This adjustment led to a reproducible derivatization pattern with the 3-TMS form as major derivative product. The second point discussed in this study is the diminution of extracts' background noise. Indeed, the implementation of the published protocol was not easy due to high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) problems encountered when concentrated urine was injected into our system. Also, too many interferences in the endogenous reference compound fractions were observed. The addition of both a wash step before the HPLC purification and a HPLC purification step for the endogenous reference compound (ERC) fraction allowed us to increase the robustness of the method. This study presents the modified protocol compared to the original protocol as well as the evaluation of the whole method performances. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Glucocorticoid administration in athletes: Performance, metabolism and detection

It is generally acknowledged in the sporting world that glucocorticoid (GC) use enhances physical performance. This pharmacological class is therefore banned by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) in in-competition samples after systemic but not local (defined as any route other than oral, intravenous, intramuscular or rectal) administration, which thus allows athletes to use GCs for therapeutic purposes. According to the 2016 WADA list, the urine reporting level for all GCs is set at 30ng/ml to distinguish between the authorized and banned routes of administration. The actual data on the ergogenic effects of GC intake are nevertheless fairly recent, with the first study showing improved physical performance with systemic GC administration dating back only to 2007. Moreover, the studies over the last decade coupling ergogenic and metabolic investigations in humans during and after GC intake have shown discrepant results. Similarly, urine discrimination between banned and authorized GC use remains complex, but it seems likely to be improved thanks to new analytical studies and the inclusion of the authorized GC uses (local routes of administration and out-of-competition samples) in the WADA monitoring program. In this review, we first summarize the current knowledge on the ergogenic and metabolic GC effects in humans during various types of exercise. We then present the antidoping legislation and methods of analysis currently used to detect GC abuse and conclude with some practical considerations and perspectives.

The use of gas chromatography-mass spectrometry/combustion/isotope ratio mass spectrometry to demonstrate progesterone treatment in bovines

Currently, no analytical method is available to demonstrate progesterone administration in biological samples collected in rearing animals, and therefore, tracking the abuse of this popular growth promoter is arduous. In this study, a method is presented to reveal progesterone (PG) treatment on the basis of carbon isotope measurement of 5β-pregnane-3α, 20α-diol (BAA-PD), a major PG metabolite excreted in bovine urine, by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry/combustion/isotope ratio mass spectrometry (GC-MS/C/IRMS). 5-Androstene-3β,17α-diol (AEdiol) is used as endogenous reference compound. Intermediate precisions (n=11) of 0.56‰ and 0.68‰ have been determined for AEdiol and BAA-PD, respectively. The analytical method was used for the very first time to successfully differentiate urine samples collected in treated and untreated animals.