Variation of the steroid profile in relation to training in women and its importance for anti-doping testing
Andersson et al.
The finding, in our words
Testosterone in dried blood spots remained stable across training and rest days in female athletes, while androstenedione showed minor changes likely due to diurnal variation rather than acute exercise. Urinary steroid excretion was lower in athletes than controls, suggesting training-related metabolic shifts that could affect anti-doping biological passport interpretation.
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 ↗
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.
Blood-based matrices such as serum and dried blood spots offer direct access to circulating analytes, overcoming key detection limitations of traditional urine testing for agents like erythropoiesis-stimulating drugs and peptide hormones. Capillary microsampling technologies provide simplified collection workflows that support the expansion of multi-matrix anti-doping and biological passport programmes.
Following topical scalp application of RU 58841 in healthy men, the parent drug and its oxidized metabolite were detectable in dried blood spots, demonstrating systemic absorption. Urinary steroid profiling parameters used in athlete biological passports remained unaffected after a single 30 mg dose.
Okutan et al., Biomedical chromatography : BMC · source ↗