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Dried blood spots for doping controls-Development of a comprehensive initial testing procedure with fully automated
Ann-Marie Garzinsky1, Andreas Thomas1, Sven Guddat1
1Center for Preventive Doping Research/Institute of Biochemistry, German Sport University Cologne, Cologne, Germany.
Biomedical Chromatography : BMC
|March 28, 2023
Summary
A new automated method for analyzing dried blood spots (DBS) can detect 233 doping substances, offering a minimally invasive alternative for sports anti-doping testing. This validated procedure supports the growing use of DBS in detecting prohibited substances.
Area of Science:
- Sports Science
- Analytical Chemistry
- Biomedical Analysis
Background:
- Traditional doping control relies on urine, whole blood, and serum.
- Dried blood spots (DBS) offer a minimally invasive alternative for sample collection.
- Increased application of DBS necessitates robust analytical procedures.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop, optimize, and validate a comprehensive initial testing procedure (ITP) for doping-relevant substances using DBS.
- To cover all substance groups on the World Anti-Doping Agency's (WADA's) Prohibited List.
- To establish a validated method for routine anti-doping analysis with DBS.
Main Methods:
- Developed a fully automated sample preparation system for DBS analysis.
- Employed flow-through extraction of a 4 mm DBS spot.
- Utilized Liquid Chromatography-High Resolution Mass Spectrometry/Mass Spectrometry (LC-HRMS/MS) for analysis.
- Validated the procedure for selectivity, limit of detection, reproducibility, carryover, and robustness.
Main Results:
- The ITP successfully analyzes 233 substances from all WADA Prohibited List groups.
- The automated procedure meets WADA guidelines for routine application.
- Proof-of-concept demonstrated detection of prednisone, dexamethasone, pseudoephedrine, and propranolol in DBS samples.
- Detected substances for 4 to 24 hours post-administration, depending on collection time.
Conclusions:
- The developed ITP is suitable for the increasing relevance of DBS in anti-doping.
- This method provides a foundation for optimized anti-doping approaches using DBS.
- DBS analysis can be valuable for interpreting adverse analytical findings, especially for in-competition substances.
