Doping Control Programs Research Articles

Challenges in detecting substances for equine anti-doping.

The artificial increase of the physical capability of horses using drugs is well known in racing and other equine sports. Both illicit and therapeutic substances are regarded as prohibited substances in competition in most countries. Some countries make distinctions for a few, specific drugs which are, however, allowed for use in other countries. The primary objective in the case of doping control is the detection of any trace of drug exposure, either parent drug or any of its metabolites, using the most powerful analytical methods which are generally based on chromatographic/mass spectrometric techniques. Of major concern in horseracing is the absence of a single organization regulating the anti-doping framework; instead of this, individual racing authorities provide rules and regulations often resulting in variations in the applied doping control programmes of different countries. The aim of this paper is to review the recent literature (approximately from 2012 to mid-2016) to highlight the numerous and diverse challenges faced in doping control of racing and equestrian sports, including the detection of designer drugs (anabolic steroids or stimulants) and of other emerging prohibited substances, such as peptides and noble gases in horse urine and plasma. Moreover, the application of 'omics' techniques (especially of metabolomics) deserves attention for establishing possible fingerprints of drug abuse as well as the evolution of instrumental analysis resulting a powerful ally in the fight against doping in equine sports. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

How to protect the clean athletes?

Anti-doping work can only be successful if athletes are not only participating, but actively engaging and promoting their right to compete in clean and fair sport. To achieve this, there is a strong need for strategic realignment, improvement of doping control programs, support from criminal investigating bodies, as well as structural and person-centred prevention. Anti-doping work needs full independence from the sport establishment to be credible and effective. A real separation of powers implies the establishment of an “International Anti-Doping Service” (IADS) as a missing link in the international anti-doping framework besides the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) and the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS). WADA must be strengthened to impose sanctions on noncomplying organisations and countries, based on accreditation and review processes, benchmarking and quality controls. The highest standards of good governance must apply to anti-doping organisations. Sports organisations, major event organizers, sport sponsors, media institutes and public authorities must contribute to a global anti-doping fund to provide sufficient funding for the new anti-doping framework. The cooperation with criminal investigation bodies is fundamental to identify not only cheating individuals but uncover whole networks. The use of certain substances and methods should be considered under criminal law. Structural preventive measures can contribute an important part, but must go hand in hand with values-based education. Spreading information must not be misjudged as education and education without research is like testing without intelligence: A waste of time, money, and effort. Some propositions of this paper could be implemented immediately, while others will take effect in the long run; nevertheless, each step is important to protect the clean athletes.

Advantages and Limitations of Androgen Receptor-Based Methods for Detecting Anabolic Androgenic Steroid Abuse as Performance Enhancing Drugs.

Testosterone (T) and related androgens are performance enhancing drugs (PEDs) abused by some athletes to gain competitive advantage. To monitor unauthorized androgen abuse, doping control programs use mass spectrometry (MS) to detect androgens, synthetic anabolic-androgenic steroids (AASs) and their metabolites in an athlete’s urine. AASs of unknown composition will not be detected by these procedures. Since AASs achieve their anabolic effects by activating the Androgen Receptor (AR), cell-based bioassays that measure the effect of a urine sample on AR activity are under investigation as complementary, pan-androgen detection methods. We evaluated an AR BioAssay as a monitor for androgen activity in urine pre-treated with glucuronidase, which releases T from the inactive T-glucuronide that predominates in urine. AR BioAssay activity levels were expressed as ‘T-equivalent’ concentrations by comparison to a T dose response curve. The T-equivalent concentrations of androgens in the urine of hypogonadal participants supplemented with T (in whom all androgenic activity should arise from T) were quantitatively identical to the T measurements conducted by MS at the UCLA Olympic Analytical Laboratory (0.96 ± 0.22). All 17 AASs studied were active in the AR BioAssay; other steroids were inactive. 12 metabolites of 10 commonly abused AASs, which are used for MS monitoring of AAS doping because of their prolonged presence in urine, had reduced or no AR BioAssay activity. Thus, the AR BioAssay can accurately and inexpensively monitor T, but its ability to monitor urinary AASs will be limited to a period immediately following doping in which the active AASs remain intact.

The Athlete Biological Passport: an integral element of innovative strategies in antidoping

Concern for the health of athletes and integrity of sport resulted in the banning of specific substances although many years passed before analytical testing took place. Soon doping control programmes...

Educational Opportunities and Anti-Doping Roles and Responsibilities for Pharmacists

Drug use and abuse by athletes has become a common problem. Pharmacists can assist by managing the legitimate medication needs of athletes to prevent them from accidentally using a banned substance. Pharmacists can also educate athletes and the public about the health consequences of using performance-enhancing substances. Pharmacists can play a variety of roles to assist with anti-doping. Such roles include educating, advising, dispensing and monitoring medications and supplements; and working with anti-doping agencies. There are few established educational opportunities for pharmacists and pharmacy students. Educational programs in sports pharmacy and doping control need to be developed for instruction in the classroom, for post-graduate training and for experiential programs. Classroom instruction should include information about performance-enhancing substances and general principles of doping control. Student activities for an established advanced pharmacy practice experience include education on performance-enhancing substances and assay technologies, preparing and providing presentations to athletes and others regarding these substances, performing literature research on drugs and dietary supplements used to improve athletic performance, writing a monograph on these substances, and participating in doping control programs.

Annual banned‐substance review: analytical approaches in human sports drug testing

The annual update of the list of prohibited substances and doping methods as issued by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) allows the implementation of most recent considerations of performance manipulation and emerging therapeutics into human sports doping control programmes. The annual banned-substance review for human doping controls critically summarizes recent innovations in analytical approaches that support the efforts of convicting cheating athletes by improved or newly established methods that focus on known as well as newly outlawed substances and doping methods. In the current review, literature published between October 2008 and September 2009 reporting on new and/or enhanced procedures and techniques for doping analysis, as well as aspects relevant to the doping control arena, was considered to complement the 2009 annual banned-substance review.

Sweat as an Alternative Matrix for Amphetamines and MethylenEdioxy Derivatives Analysis

Analysis of drugs and metabolites in biological alternative matrices such as sweat is getting importance in forensic toxicology for workplace drug testing, criminal justice, drug abuse treatment and sport doping control programs. The consumption of 3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA), or “ecstasy”, a commonly abused synthetic psychoactive substance as well as other sympathomimetic amines including amphetamine and methamphetamine is widespread and increasingly popular among young people in the United States and Europe, becoming a very serious public health problem. This paper reviews the use of sweat samples for amphetamines and methylenedioxy derivatives analysis, methodologies and studies involved subjects and controlled administration of MDMA. According to guidelines for drug monitoring using sweat as alternative specimens proposed by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) in 2004, requirements for a positive sweat test include amphetamines screen test with ≥ 25 ng/patch, and a confirmation cutoff of 25 ng/patch for amphetamines and methylenedioxy derivatives. A review of the indexed literature found respectively limits of detection and quantification ranging from 0.72 ng/patch to 5 ng/patch and from 1.4 ng/patch to 5 ng/patch for all analytes.

Drug Use in Sports: A Veritable Arena for Pharmacists

To describe opportunities and obligations for pharmacists regarding doping control in sports, and to present information and resources on drugs and dietary supplements that are popular among athletes for performance enhancement. Sports medicine journals and articles in English obtained from Medline (1966 through June 2003) using the search terms doping in sports, drugs in sports, dietary supplements, sports, amphetamine, stimulants, ephedrine, ephedra, caffeine, anabolic steroids, human growth hormone, erythropoietin, darbepoetin, androstenedione, dehydroepiandrosterone, and creatine. Information was also obtained from sports-governing agencies, such as the National Collegiate Athletic Association and the International Olympic Committee. Studies and reports that were credible and scientifically sound that evaluated the ergogenic effects of drugs and dietary supplements. By the author. Pharmacists can participate in doping control programs in a number of ways. Pharmacists also have an obligation when counseling, advising, and treating athletes to help them avoid banned substances. Athletes use a host of drugs for their performance-enhancing effects, many of which are banned by major sports-governing bodies. Myriad dietary supplements are marketed to athletes, claiming to have ergogenic effects. Some of these popular supplements have proven performance-enhancing effects, while others do not. Adverse effects of these drugs and dietary supplements are discussed. A variety of drugs and dietary supplements have proven performance-enhancing effects in athletes. However, many of these substances have adverse effects and are banned by various sports-governing organizations. Pharmacists can play a key role in participating in doping control programs, and can prevent athletes from inadvertently consuming a banned substance.

The Detection of New Synthetic Drugs in Athlete's Urine Samples

AbstractPharmaceutical preparations marketed for a specific therapeutic application in humans or animals can be abused by some athletes seeking performance enhancement. New drugs are also designed, synthesised and made available in some sport communities. Regularly, the list of compounds tested for in the laboratories involved in athletic drug testing is revised and updated. In this paper, we describe, with selected examples, the detection of new substances in athletes urine samples collected during doping control programmes. Clenbuterol and Zeranol used as a growth-promoters in the cattle industry, found their way in the performance enhancing therapeutic arsenal respectively a stimulant, a bronchodilator and as “anabolic” agents. Clenbuterol had known applications in humans while Zeranol was restricted to the veterinary use. Bromantan, a new substance developed in Russia a few years ago, was distributed in selected groups including athletes. It is now controlled by the sport authorities as a stimulant an...

Doping control in sports--a perspective from the 1996 Olympic Games.

Doping-control (DC) procedures, particularly as used at the 1996 Olympic Games, are described, and the role of pharmacists in DC is discussed. DC procedures must be strict and precisely followed to avoid contamination of samples, the appearance of bias, and breaches in security and confidentiality. The process of selecting athletes for testing can be random, nonrandom, or a combination of the two. Escorts are used to notify athletes of their selection, verify their identity, and accompany them to the DC station. When urine specimens are obtained for DC, the voiding process must be directly observed. The specimen is checked for pH and specific gravity and then processed for shipping to a laboratory to be analyzed for banned substances. Medication histories are also obtained, giving athletes the opportunity to declare any substance that has been taken for legitimate medical purposes. Laboratory analysis involves screening and confirmation phases. During the Atlanta Games, roughly 50 pharmacists participated in the DC program as escorts or technical officers. It is logical to involve pharmacists in DC programs because they can develop and conduct drug-testing protocols; educate athletes, coaches, and trainers about drug use and abuse; and help ensure the safe and effective use of medications. Sophisticated doping-control procedures have been developed for athletic competitions, and pharmacists have much to offer DC programs.

Bicarbonate ingestion and anaerobic performance.

Recently, the use by athletes of performanceenhancing drugs and the consequent prominence of doping control programmes have received considerable notoriety. Although most of the identified ergogenic aids have been banned from use in athletic competitions, there are some noticeable exceptions (Gledhill, 1982; Wilkes et al., 1983). For example, there is no ban on the ingestion of sodium bicarbonate, a manipulation which augments thebody'sbuffer reserve and counteracts the buildup of lactic acid. Recentfindings have shown conclusively that this procedure (commonly termed sodaloading or bufferboosting) can be used to enhance running performance (Wilkes et al., 1983). The evidence pertaining to soda loading, and the implications for sport and dopingcontrolswill be summarised in this article.