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Targeting prohibited substances in doping control blood samples by means of chromatographic–mass spectrometric methods

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Abstract

Urine samples have been the predominant matrix for doping controls for several decades. However, owing to the complementary information provided by blood (as well as serum or plasma and dried blood spots (DBS)), the benefits of its analysis have resulted in continuously increasing appreciation by anti-doping authorities. On the one hand, blood samples allow for the detection of various different methods of blood doping and the abuse of erythropoiesis-stimulating agents (ESAs) via the Athlete Biological Passport; on the other hand, targeted and non-targeted drug detection by means of chromatographic–mass spectrometric methods represents an important tool to increase doping control frequencies out-of-competition and to determine drug concentrations particularly in in-competition scenarios. Moreover, blood analysis seldom requires in-depth knowledge of drug metabolism, and the intact substance rather than potentially unknown or assumed metabolic products can be targeted. In this review, the recent developments in human sports drug testing concerning mass spectrometry-based techniques for qualitative and quantitative analyses of therapeutics and emerging drug candidates are summarized and reviewed. The analytical methods include both low and high molecular mass compounds (e.g., anabolic agents, stimulants, metabolic modulators, peptide hormones, and small interfering RNA (siRNA)) determined from serum, plasma, and DBS using state-of-the-art instrumentation such as liquid chromatography (LC)–high resolution/high accuracy (tandem) mass spectrometry (LC-HRMS), LC–low resolution tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS), and gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC-MS).

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Acknowledgments

The work was supported by the Federal Ministry of the Interior of the Federal Republic of Germany (Bonn, DE) and Antidoping Switzerland (Berne, CH).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Center for Preventive Doping Research / Institute of Biochemistry, German Sport University, Am Sportpark Muengersdorf 6, Cologne, 50933, Germany

    Mario Thevis, Andreas Thomas & Wilhelm Schänzer

  2. European Monitoring Center for Emerging Doping Agents (EuMoCEDA), Am Sportpark Muengersdorf 6, Cologne, 50933, Germany

    Mario Thevis

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  1. Mario Thevis
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  2. Andreas Thomas
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Correspondence to Mario Thevis.

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Published in the topical collection Anti-doping Analysis with guest editor Christopher Harrison.

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Thevis, M., Thomas, A. & Schänzer, W. Targeting prohibited substances in doping control blood samples by means of chromatographic–mass spectrometric methods. Anal Bioanal Chem 405, 9655–9667 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00216-013-7224-3

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