Drugs in sport

Synthesis and characterization of octopamine sulfate, norfenefrine sulfate and etilefrine sulfate reference materials for doping control

BACKGROUND

Doping is the use of prohibited substances by athletes to improve their performance. World Anti‐Doping Agency (WADA)‐accredited laboratories require various metabolite reference standards of the prohibited chemical substances or drugs for routine quality control. Therefore, it was proposed to develop efficient synthetic methodologies for highly pure reference materials of Phase II metabolites of octopamine, norfenefrine and etilefrine, which are prohibited in sports by WADA under the S6 stimulant category. The reference materials were characterized using various analytical techniques. New high‐performance liquid chromatography with diode‐array detection (HPLC‐DAD) methods were developed for purity assessment.

RESULTS

The synthesized Phase II metabolite reference standards, i.e. octopamine sulfate, norfenefrine sulfate and etilefrine sulfate, were confirmed by 1H NMR, 13C NMR, liquid chromatography–high‐resolution mass spectrometry (LC‐HRMS), attenuated total reflectance Fourier transform infrared and thermogravimetric analysis. In the LC‐HRMS study, the mass error value of synthesized compounds was less than 10 ppm (error) which confirms the identity of the reference materials. New HPLC‐DAD method were developed to ensure the purity of the reference materials. We used the HILIC column as metabolite reference standards are highly polar. The mobile phase was composed of water and acetonitrile in fixed composition. The HPLC‐DAD purity of the developed reference materials was observed as 100%.

CONCLUSION

We have developed reproducible synthetic routes for octopamine sulfate, norfenefrine sulfate and etilefrine sulfate, which are prohibited in sports by WADA. The synthesized metabolites were characterized using different advanced analytical techniques. These reference standards will be helpful to all WADA‐accredited laboratories in routine anti‐doping testing. © 2023 Society of Chemical Industry (SCI).

Comparison of the effects of open vs. closed skill exercise on the acute and chronic BDNF, IGF-1 and IL-6 response in older healthy adults

BACKGROUND

Accumulating evidence shows that physical exercise has a positive effect on the release of neurotrophic factors and myokines. However, evidence regarding the optimal type of physical exercise for these release is still lacking. The aim of this study was to assess the acute and chronic effects of open-skill exercise (OSE) compared to closed-skill exercise (CSE) on serum and plasma levels of brain derived neurotrophic factor (BDNFS, BDNFP), and serum levels of insulin like growth factor 1 (IGF-1), and interleukin 6 (IL-6) in healthy older adults.

METHODS

To investigate acute effects, thirty-eight participants were randomly assigned to either an intervention (badminton (aOSE) and bicycling (aCSE), n  = 24, 65.83 ± 5.98 years) or control group (reading (CG), n  = 14, 67.07 ± 2.37 years). Blood samples were taken immediately before and 5 min after each condition. During each condition, heart rate was monitored. The mean heart rate of aOSE and aCSE were equivalent (65 ± 5% of heart rate reserve). In a subsequent 12-week training-intervention, twenty-two participants were randomly assigned to either a sport-games (cOSE, n  = 6, 64.50 ± 6.32) or a strength-endurance training (cCSE, n  = 9, 64.89 ± 3.51) group to assess for chronic effects. Training intensity for both groups was adjusted to a subjective perceived exertion using the CR-10 scale (value 7). Blood samples were taken within one day after the training-intervention.

RESULTS

BDNFS, BDNFP, IGF-1, and IL-6 levels increased after a single exercise session of 30 min. After 12 weeks of training BDNFS and IL-6 levels were elevated, whereas IGF-1 levels were reduced in both groups. However, only in the cOSE group these changes were significant. We could not find any significant differences between the exercise types.

CONCLUSION

Our results indicate that both exercise types are efficient to acutely increase BDNFS, BDNFP, IGF-1 and IL-6 serum levels in healthy older adults. Additionally, our results tend to support that OSE is more effective for improving basal BDNFS levels after 12 weeks of training.

The abuse of diuretics as performance-enhancing drugs and masking agents in sport doping: pharmacology, toxicology and analysis

Diuretics are drugs that increase the rate of urine flow and sodium excretion to adjust the volume and composition of body fluids. There are several major categories of this drug class and the compounds vary greatly in structure, physicochemical properties, effects on urinary composition and renal haemodynamics, and site and mechanism of action. Diuretics are often abused by athletes to excrete water for rapid weight loss and to mask the presence of other banned substances. Because of their abuse by athletes, diuretics have been included on The World Anti-Doping Agency's (WADA) list of prohibited substances; the use of diuretics is banned both in competition and out of competition and diuretics are routinely screened for by anti-doping laboratories. This review provides an overview of the pharmacology and toxicology of diuretics and discusses their application in sports. The most common analytical strategies currently followed by the anti-doping laboratories accredited by the WADA are discussed along with the challenges laboratories face for the analysis of this diverse class of drugs.

The UK Sport perspective on detecting growth hormone abuse

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES

Human growth hormone (hGH) is seen as a doping risk in sport because of its possible anabolic and lipolytic effects. As a result of this hGH is prohibited for athletes to use both in and out-of-competition by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) requiring Anti-Doping Organisations to work with research teams in identifying ways to detect hGH abuse.

APPROACH

This paper reviews and discusses the UK Sport perspective on the challenges faced in detecting hGH and in particular draws upon the experiences gained during the collaborative efforts with the GH-2004 research team in achieving the implementation of the Marker Method for hGH detection.

CONCLUSIONS

In 2008 significant progress has been made; there is one test for detecting HGH approved for use in anti-doping and a second detection method pending. This is a strong reflection of the ongoing research efforts in anti-doping and the progress being made by the Anti-Doping Organisations in reducing the risk that doping poses to sport.