Detection of doping substances in paired dried blood spots and urine samples collected during doping controls in Danish fitness centers
Levernæs et al.
The finding, in our words
The study reported 95% concordance between dried blood spot and urine samples for detecting prohibited substances in a fitness centre doping control programme. Capillary blood collected with the Tasso-M20 device proved a viable alternative matrix, likely due to high analyte concentrations in this population.
A paraphrase to the Library’s standard, never the abstract. The source is one link away and is always the authority.
The authors found that a single microdose of recombinant EPO was detectable up to 72 hours using ITP and CP methods, though the Tasso microsampling device showed lower sensitivity than Mitra and Capitainer. Additionally, isotope ratio mass spectrometry successfully detected testosterone micro-dosing in all analysed samples, supported by serum testosterone levels.
Heiland et al., Drug testing and analysis · source ↗
Dried blood spot sampling detected testosterone use in all ten participants, whereas urine testing missed two cases likely due to UGT2B17 deletion. The method distinguished prescribed from illicit testosterone ester use, supporting DBS as a sensitive tool for decentralised anabolic steroid monitoring.
Suominen et al., Drug testing and analysis · source ↗
Luspatercept was detected at high levels in serum throughout the collection period and at lower levels in urine from 2 days after the first dose until 7 weeks after the second dose; capillary dried blood spots showed the same long detection window. Haematological changes were small and only two participants had atypical points outside physiological limits.
Marchand et al., Drug testing and analysis · source ↗
A validated two-step LC-MS/MS protocol can identify 91 prohibited doping agents from a single dried blood spot collected on either cellulose cards or volumetric absorptive microsampling devices. This demonstrates robust multi-analyte screening from capillary blood, supporting decentralised anti-doping programmes where venous sampling is impractical.
This review highlights that microsampling techniques such as dried blood spots and volumetric absorptive microsampling offer superior alternatives to traditional sampling for the mass spectrometry detection of prohibited substances in anti-doping analysis. It provides guidance on selecting appropriate analytical methods and sample pretreatment strategies to ensure sensitive detection and reliable storage conditions.
Maykar et al., Critical reviews in analytical chemistry (paywalled) · source ↗