Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Experiment Videos

Human chorionic gonadotrophin and sport.

A T Kicman1, R V Brooks, D A Cowan

  • 1Drug Control Centre, King's College, London, UK.

British Journal of Sports Medicine
|June 1, 1991
PubMed
Summary

Human chorionic gonadotrophin (hCG) use by athletes is banned, as it can mask androgen abuse. Current detection methods for hCG are insufficient for sports doping control, requiring improved assays.

Related Concept Videos

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Extremophiles in a changing world.

Extremophiles : life under extreme conditions·2024
Same author

Fungal Planet description sheets: 1550-1613.

Persoonia·2024
Same author

Fungal Planet description sheets: 1478-1549.

Persoonia·2024
Same author

Fungal Planet description sheets: 1436-1477.

Persoonia·2024
Same author

Fungal Planet description sheets: 1284-1382.

Persoonia·2023
Same author

Soil fungal diversity and assembly along a xeric stress gradient in the central Namib Desert.

Fungal biology·2023

Area of Science:

  • Endocrinology
  • Sports Science
  • Biochemistry

Background:

  • Human chorionic gonadotrophin (hCG) mimics luteinizing hormone and is used by athletes to boost testosterone.
  • Testosterone administration is detected by the testosterone/epitestosterone (T/E) ratio, with a threshold of 6.
  • hCG administration elevates testosterone and epitestosterone without altering the T/E ratio, complicating doping detection.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To address the challenge of detecting hCG in sports doping.
  • To evaluate current and potential methods for identifying hCG use in athletes.

Main Methods:

  • Review of hCG's biological action and detection methods.
  • Comparison of immunoassay sensitivity with gas-liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry.
  • Discussion of potential improvements to immunoassay detection.

Main Results:

  • hCG administration can circumvent standard doping tests by not elevating the T/E ratio.
  • Current immunoassays for hCG lack the required sensitivity and specificity for IOC standards.
  • Gas-liquid chromatography with mass-spectrometry offers higher discriminatory power.

Conclusions:

  • There is a need for more sensitive and specific hCG detection methods in sports.
  • Modified immunoassay procedures, including extraction and chromatography, may meet IOC requirements for hCG detection.

Related Experiment Videos