Analytical strategy for detecting doping agents in hair.

Area of Science:

• Forensic Science
• Analytical Chemistry
• Sports Science

Background:

• Doping control agencies regularly update lists of banned substances, including stimulants, narcotics, diuretics, and anabolic agents.
• Restrictions vary, with some substances always banned (anabolic agents), some permitted under conditions (caffeine), and others banned only during competition (stimulants).
• Hair analysis presents challenges due to uncertain kinetics, making it difficult to distinguish between training and competition periods for certain substances.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the utility and challenges of hair analysis for detecting doping agents.
• To identify the most relevant target substances for hair analysis in anti-doping efforts.
• To explore the complexities of analyzing steroids and their precursors in hair samples.

Main Methods:

• Review of banned substance classes and their detection challenges in hair.
• Analysis of kinetic considerations for differentiating training vs. competition use.
• Investigation of analytical approaches for exogenous steroids and precursor substances in hair.

Main Results:

• Hair analysis is not always sufficient for doping offenses, especially for substances like stimulants and beta-blockers.
• Anabolic agents and their precursors are identified as promising targets due to longer detection windows.
• Analysis of endogenous steroids and parent compounds like testosterone in hair is complicated by biotransformation and physiological roles.

Conclusions:

• Hair analysis offers complementary information for long-term detection, particularly for anabolic agents.
• Detecting precursor substances of anabolic steroids in hair is a promising approach for identifying exogenous intake.
• Establishing reliable cut-off levels for certain substances in hair remains challenging due to biovariability.