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Updated: Jun 19, 2026
Comparative Analysis of Human Growth Hormone in Serum Using SPRi, Nano-SPRi and ELISA Assays
Published on: January 7, 2016
Detection of growth hormone doping by gene expression profiling of peripheral blood
Christopher J Mitchell1, Anne E Nelson, Mark J Cowley
1Pituitary Research Unit, Garvan Institute of Medical Research, 384 Victoria Street, Darlinghurst New South Wales 2010, Sydney, Australia.
Context:
GH abuse is a significant problem in many sports, and there is currently no robust test that allows detection of doping beyond a short window after administration.
Objective:
Our objective was to evaluate gene expression profiling in peripheral blood leukocytes in-vivo as a test for GH doping in humans.
Design:
Seven men and thirteen women were administered GH, 2 mg/d sc for 8 wk. Blood was collected at baseline and at 8 wk. RNA was extracted from the white cell fraction. Microarray analysis was undertaken using Agilent 44K G4112F arrays using a two-color design. Quantitative RT-PCR using TaqMan gene expression assays was performed for validation of selected differentially expressed genes.
Results:
GH induced an approximately 2-fold increase in circulating IGF-I that was maintained throughout the 8 wk of the study. GH induced significant changes in gene expression with 353 in women and 41 in men detected with a false discovery rate of less than 5%. None of the differentially expressed genes were common between men and women. The maximal changes were a doubling for up-regulated or halving for down-regulated genes, similar in magnitude to the variation between individuals. Quantitative RT-PCR for seven target genes showed good concordance between microarray and quantitative PCR data in women but not in men.
Conclusion:
Gene expression analysis of peripheral blood leukocytes is unlikely to be a viable approach for the detection of GH doping.
