Microsampling and LC-MS/MS for antidoping testing of glucocorticoids in urine
Protti et al.
The finding, in our words
Dried urine spot and volumetric absorptive microsampling methods were validated for quantifying six corticosteroids in 30 μl urine, showing good linearity, extraction yields exceeding 81 percent, and precision within 15 percent relative standard deviation. Analytes remained stable for seven days at room temperature, indicating urine microsampling is viable for remote antidoping control and could support decentralised steroid monitoring.
A paraphrase to the Library’s standard, never the abstract. The source is one link away and is always the authority.
A direct DUS-versus-VAMS comparison for 13 steroids on the same urine: VAMS gave better precision and recovery and superior one-year room-temperature stability.
The analysis indicates that dried blood spots and volumetric absorptive microsampling enable minimally invasive monitoring of prohibited substances, with volumetric absorptive microsampling offering improved quantitative reliability over traditional dried spots.
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 ↗
A 2025 review maps 28 microsampling devices, from dried spots and volumetric absorptive tips to upper-arm liquid capillary collectors, and names what a laboratory must control before their results are used: the haematocrit effect in non-volumetric dried samples, interstitial fluid from finger milking, volume, haemolysis and transport stability. Regulators on both sides of the Atlantic ask for the same two things, a device the patient can use safely and a sample fit for the test.
This review surveyed the use of VAMS devices for analysing endogenous metabolites and biomarkers across the full analytical workflow, finding them reliable for biological analysis with improved analyte stability over liquid blood at ambient temperature and a straightforward acquisition model well suited to decentralised diagnostics.