Test Being Developed for Hitherto Unrecognized Endurance Enhancers

A new test will allow sports officials to screen for emerging performance-enhancing drugs.

The test detects a core chemical structure belonging to a class of compounds called benzothiazepines. These compounds stabilize protein channels that would otherwise leak calcium from muscle cells during strenuous exercise. Calcium is needed for muscle contraction and the leaking effect weakens the contractions and causes muscle fatigue.

Dr. Mario Thevis, director of the center for preventive doping research at the German Sport University (Cologne, Germany) and colleagues characterized the compounds according to their weight and molecular structure. This provided a molecular "fingerprint" by which to identify the compounds. Using high-resolution mass spectrometry, JTV-519 and S-107, benzothiazepines currently in development for the treatment of heart abnormalities, were detected in spiked urine at concentrations as low as 0.1 ng/mL.

The Beijing Olympics 2008 (China) were remarkably drug free; only six athletes were caught during the games and three more cases identified after the games closed. It is possible that some athletes were using drugs that could not be detected by available tests. Perhaps they used compounds that had not yet been tested in humans, but were known to have performance-enhancing properties in mice.

"We used the common approaches that are employed for detecting anabolic agents. Our work showed that we could identify the right compounds and that we have a sensitive test," said Dr. Thevis.

Related Links:
German Sport University