Oxygen delivery enhancers: past, present, and future

Area of Science:

• Sports Science
• Physiology
• Biochemistry

Background:

• Oxygen delivery to muscles is crucial for endurance athletes.
• Performance declines with prolonged intense activity due to anaerobic metabolism and lactate increase.
• Enhancing aerobic capacity involves increasing oxygen transport or delivery.

Purpose of the Study:

• To provide an overview of blood doping techniques used in sports.
• To explore hematological alternatives to gene doping for improving aerobic capacity.
• To discuss various methods aimed at enhancing athletic performance through oxygen delivery.

Main Methods:

• Review of blood doping techniques including blood transfusions.
• Analysis of erythropoiesis-stimulating substances and blood substitutes.
• Examination of allosteric hemoglobin modulators, gene doping, and gene regulation pathways.

Main Results:

• Blood doping encompasses a range of illicit methods to boost athletic performance.
• Techniques include blood transfusions, EPO-stimulating agents, blood substitutes, and gene doping.
• Hematological strategies offer potential alternatives for increasing aerobic capacity in athletes.

Conclusions:

• Blood doping is a multifaceted practice aimed at enhancing oxygen transport and athletic performance.
• Various substances and methods are employed, including recombinant erythropoietin and gene manipulation.
• Hematological approaches are presented as potential alternatives to gene doping for improving endurance.