Determination of N-desmethyl- and N-bisdesmethyl metabolites of Sibutramine in doping control analysis using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry.

Since January 2006, the list of prohibited substances established by the World Anti-Doping Agency includes the antidepressant / anti-obesity drug Sibutramine. Due to its rapid degradation to its active metabolites N-desmethyl and N-bisdesmethyl Sibutramine, reference compounds were synthesized and included into an existing screening assay to allow the unambiguous determination of these metabolic products in human urine using liquid-liquid extraction followed by liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry. Characteristic product ions, obtained after electrospray ionization and collision-induced dissociation, were elucidated using high resolution/high accuracy mass measurements with a hybrid linear ion trap/orbitrap mass analyzer.

Identification of the aromatase inhibitors anastrozole and exemestane in human urine using liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry.

Anastrozole (2,2'-[5-(1H-1,2,4-triazol-1-ylmethyl)-1.3-phenylene]bis(2-methylpropionitrile)) and exemestane (6-methylenandrostan-1,4-diene-3,17-dione) are therapeutically used to treat hormone-sensitive breast cancer in postmenopausal women. For doping purposes they may be used to counteract adverse effects of an extensive abuse of anabolic androgenic steroids (gynaecomastia) and to increase plasma testosterone concentrations.

Quantitative determination of metabolic products of 19-norandrostenediol in human plasma using gas chromatography/mass spectrometry.

Prohormones such as 19-norandrostenediol (estr-4-ene-3beta,17beta-diol) have been added to the list of prohibited substances of the World Anti-Doping Agency because they are metabolized to the common nandrolone metabolites norandrosterone and noretiocholanolone. So far, no studies on the metabolism and in vivo conversion of 19-norandrostenediol after oral or sublingual administration have been reported nor have had quantified data on resulting plasma nandrolone levels. In the present study, an open-label crossover trial with eight healthy male volunteers was conducted.

17beta-hydroxy-5alpha-androst-1-en-3-one (1-testosterone) is a potent androgen with anabolic properties.

Since the begining of the year 2005, the use of steroid precursors (prohormones) is illegal in the United States; nevertheless, there is still an enormous abuse of such substances. One of the most frequently misused steroids, often declared to be a prohormone, is 1-testosterone (17beta-hydroxy-5alpha-androst-1-en-3-one, 1-Testo). In this study, we have characterised molecular mechanisms of its action, determined its tissue specific androgenic and anabolic potency and investigated potential adverse effects.

Doping control analysis of intact rapid-acting insulin analogues in human urine by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry.

Insulin and related synthetic therapeutics have been prohibited by the World Anti-Doping Agency for athletes demonstrably not suffering from diabetes mellitus. The primary specimen for doping controls has been urine, but the renal excretion of intact human insulin as well as synthetic analogues such as the rapid-acting products Humalog LisPro, Novolog Aspart, and Apidra Glulisine has been reported negligible owing to metabolic degradation. Nevertheless, employing solid-phase extraction in combination with immunoaffinity purification followed by a top-down sequencing-based mass spectrometric approach, an assay was established allowing the identification of three intact rapid-acting synthetic insulins in doping control urine samples.

Screening for metabolically stable aryl-propionamide-derived selective androgen receptor modulators for doping control purposes.

Anabolic agents have been among the most frequently detected drugs in amateur and professional sport. A novel class of therapeutics presumably complementing anabolic steroids in the near future includes so-called selective androgen receptor modulators (SARMs) that have been under clinical investigations for several years. Although not yet commercially available, their potential for misuse in sports is high.

Mass spectrometric characterization of efaproxiral (RSR13) and its implementation into doping controls using liquid chromatography-atmospheric pressure ionization-tandem mass spectrometry.

Efaproxiral (2-[4-[[(3,5-dimethylanilino)carbonyl]methyl]phenoxyl]-2-methylpropionic acid, formerly referred to as RSR13) is prohibited in sports according to the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA). The drug as well as structurally related compounds and a stable isotope-labeled derivative have been synthesized to elucidate the fragmentation pathway of efaproxiral, using electrospray ionization (ESI) and tandem mass spectrometry by employing a novel linear ion trap--orbitrap hybrid mass spectrometer--in positive and negative ionization modes. The elimination of 2-methyl acrylic acid (-86 u) has been identified as a major fragmentation process in both charge states.

Tetrahydrogestrinone is a potent but unselective binding steroid and affects glucocorticoid signalling in the liver.

Tetrahydrogestrinone (THG) is a steroid recently identified to be misused as doping agent. However, the knowledge on functions of this substance in humans or animal models is rather limited. Therefore, it was our aim to further characterize the pharmacological profile of THG and identify potential adverse side effects.

Identification of the aromatase inhibitor letrozole in urine by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry.

Letrozole (1-(bis-(4-cyanophenyl)methyl)-1,2,4-triazole) is used therapeutically as a non-steroidal aromatase inhibitor (Femara) to treat hormone-sensitive breast cancer in postmenopausal women. For doping purposes it may be used to counteract the adverse effects of an extensive abuse of anabolic androgenic steroids (gynaecomastia) and to increase the testosterone concentration by stimulation of the testosterone biosynthesis. The use of aromatase inhibitors has been prohibited by IOC/WADA regulations for male and female athletes since September 2001 and January 2005, respectively.

Mass spectrometry of stanozolol and its analogues using electrospray ionization and collision-induced dissociation with quadrupole-linear ion trap and linear ion trap-orbitrap hybrid mass analyzers.

Mass spectrometric identification and characterization of growth-promoting anabolic-androgenic steroids in biological matrices has been a major task for doping control as well as food safety laboratories. The fragmentation behavior of stanozolol, its metabolites 17-epistanozolol, 3'-OH-stanozolol, 4alpha-OH-stanozolol, 4beta-OH-stanozolol, 17-epi-16alpha-OH-stanozolol, 16alpha-OH-stanozolol, 16beta-OH-stanozolol, as well as the synthetic analogues 4-dehydrostanozolol, 17-ketostanozolol, and N-methyl-3'-OH-stanozolol, was investigated after positive electrospray ionization and subsequent collision-induced dissociation utilizing a quadrupole-linear ion trap and a novel linear ion trap-orbitrap hybrid mass spectrometer. Stable isotope labeling, H/D-exchange experiments, MS3 analyses and high-resolution/high mass accuracy measurements of fragment ions were employed to allow proposals for charge-driven as well as charge-remote fragmentation pathways generating characteristic product ions of stanozolol at m/z 81, 91, 95, 105, 119, 135 and 297 and 4-hydroxylated stanozolol at m/z 145.

Identification of fentanyl, alfentanil, sufentanil, remifentanil and their major metabolites in human urine by liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry for doping control purposes.

Since January 2005, the list of prohibited substances established by the World Anti-Doping Agency prohibits the opioid agent fentanyl as well as its related drugs in professional and amateur sports. Fast, reliable and robust analytical assays are required that allow the sensitive determination of these compounds or respective metabolites in human urine, and liquid chromatography interfaced to mass spectrometry has proven to be a suitable and powerful tool for drug testing for several years. A screening and confirmation method was developed that enables the identification of fentanyl, alfentanil, remifentanil and sufentanil as well as their N-dealkylated or de-esterified metabolites utilizing solid-phase extraction of a 2 mL urine aliquot followed by LC-electrospray-MS/MS analysis.

Mass spectrometric analysis of androstan-17beta-ol-3-one and androstadiene-17beta-ol-3-one isomers.

Mass spectrometric identification and characterization of steroids using electrospray ionization and tandem mass spectrometry has advantages in drug testing and doping control analysis attributable to limitations of gas chromatography followed by electron ionization mass spectrometry. Steroids with an androstadiene-17beta-ol-3-one nucleus and double bonds located either at C-1 and C-4, C-4 and C-9, or C-4 and C-6 were used to determine characteristic fragmentation pathways. Diagnostic dissociation routes are proposed using deuterium labeling, MS3 experiments, and analyses of structurally closely related compounds.

Screening for unknown synthetic steroids in human urine by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry.

Chemically modified steroids (designer steroids), including tetrahydrogestrinone and norbolethone, pose a threat to the integrity of the sport community. These compounds have recently been detected in urine specimens from athletes, resulting in temporary or permanent suspension from amateur and/or professional competition. Triple quadrupole mass spectrometers enable doping control laboratories to screen for unknown, anabolic, androgenic steroids utilizing precursor ion scans.

Qualitative determination of synthetic analogues of insulin in human plasma by immunoaffinity purification and liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry for doping control purposes.

Synthetic insulins such as Humalog Lispro, Novolog Aspart, or Lantus Glargine, are commonly employed for the treatment of insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus owing to convenient handling and fast or prolonged bioavailability. However, the misuse of insulin in sports has been reported often, and the international doping control system requires a reliable and robust assay to determine the presence or absence of related drugs prohibited by the World Anti-Doping Agency. Qualitative evidence of administered substances, which is preferably obtained by mass spectrometry, is of utmost importance.

Identification and quantification of the plasma volume expander dextran in human urine by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry of enzymatically derived isomaltose.

Plasma volume expanders are used in sports in order to control haematological parameters and/or to mask erythropoietin (EPO) misuse. A reliable method based on liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) was developed for doping control purposes, enabling the identification and quantification of the plasma volume expander dextran in human urine. The dextran polymer was enzymatically hydrolysed by alpha-1,6-glucosidase (dextranase) followed by acetylation of the generated isomaltose subunits, allowing the chromatographic separation of different disaccharides, such as lactose, saccharose and isomaltose, as well as the identification and quantification of the analyte in human urine.

Examples of doping control analysis by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry: ephedrines, beta-receptor blocking agents, diuretics, sympathomimetics, and cross-linked hemoglobins.

The application of modern and powerful analytical instruments consisting of liquid chromatographs (LCs), sophisticated atmospheric pressure ion sources, and sensitive mass analyzers has improved quality as well as speed of doping control analyses markedly during the last 5 years. Numerous compounds such as beta-receptor blocking agents or diuretics require derivatization prior to gas chromatographic (GC) and mass spectrometric (MS) measurement, which is the reason for extended sample preparation periods. In addition, several substances demonstrate poor GC-MS properties even after chemical modification, and peptide hormones such as cross-linked hemoglobins cannot be analyzed at all by means of GC-MS.

Identification of oral antidiabetics and their metabolites in human urine by liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry--a matter for doping control analysis.

Since 1999, insulin belongs to the list of prohibited substances of the International Olympic Committee and the World Anti-Doping Agency. Except for patients suffering from insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus, the administration of insulin is not allowed. Therapeutics developed to treat non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus act as releasing factors of endogenously produced insulin or improve its efficiency mediating the glucose uptake into insulin-dependent tissues.

Characterization of chemically modified steroids for doping control purposes by electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry.

The discovery of the designer steroid tetrahydrogestrinone (THG) in elite athletes' doping control samples in 2003 demonstrated the availability of steroid derivatives prepared solely for doping purposes. Modern mass spectrometers utilizing electrospray ionization and collisionally activated dissociation (CAD) of analytes allow the structural characterization of steroids and their derivatization sites by the elucidation of fragmentation behaviors. A total of 21 steroids comprising either a 4,9,11-triene, a 3-keto-4-ene or a 3-keto-1-ene nucleus were investigated regarding their dissociation pathways, deuterated analogues were synthesized and fragmentation routes were postulated, permitting the identification of steroidal structures and modifications.

N-methyl-N-trimethylsilyltrifluoroacetamide-promoted synthesis and mass spectrometric characterization of deuterated ephedrines.

Synthesis and mass spectrometric characterization of drugs or metabolites labeled by stable isotopes has been of great interest in fields of clinical, forensic and doping control analysis. Deuterated ephedrine and p-hydroxypseudoephedrine were prepared from corresponding amines by a novel procedure utilizing N- methyl-N-trimethylsilyltrifluoroacetamide and deuterated iodomethane. The mechanism of methylation was studied by mass spectrometry using phenylethylamine as a model compound, and a rearrangement based on an intermediate six-membered ring structure with a trimethylsilyl-enol-ether is proposed giving rise to a leaving group of trimethyliodosilane and the desired monomethylated product.

Electrospray ionization mass spectrometric characterization and quantitation of xanthine derivatives using isotopically labelled analogues: an application for equine doping control analysis.

Isotope-dilution mass spectrometry has been employed successfully in numerous fields of analytical chemistry enabling the establishment of fast and reliable procedures. In equine sports, xanthine derivatives such as caffeine and theobromine are prohibited, and doping control laboratories analyze horse urine specimens regarding these illicit performance-enhancing drugs. Theobromine has to exceed a threshold level of 2 microg/mL, hence a robust and reliable quantitation is required.

Liquid chromatography/electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometric screening and confirmation methods for beta2-agonists in human or equine urine.

Electrospray ionization (ESI) mass spectra of 19 common beta(2)-agonists were investigated in terms of fragmentation pattern and dissociation behavior of the analytes, proving the origin of fragment ions and indicating mechanisms of charge-driven and charge-remote fragmentation. Based on these data, liquid chromatographic/ESI tandem mass spectrometric (LC/ESI-MS/MS) screening and confirmation methods were developed for doping control purposes. These procedures employ established sample preparation steps including either acidic or enzymatic hydrolysis, alkaline extraction and, in the case of equine urine specimens, acidic re-extraction of the analytes.

Doping control analysis of bovine hemoglobin-based oxygen therapeutics in human plasma by LC-electrospray ionization-MS/MS.

Since January 2000, hemoglobin-based oxygen carriers, such as Hemopure, belong to the list of prohibited substances of the International Olympic Committee. Hemopure is based on bovine hemoglobin, which is intra- and intermolecularly cross-linked by glutaraldehyde units causing an average molecular weight of approximately 250,000. Bovine and human hemoglobins differ by 15% in amino acid sequence; hence, tryptic digestion of these proteins generates species-common and -unique peptides.

Glucuronidation of anabolic androgenic steroids by recombinant human UDP-glucuronosyltransferases.

A multidimensional study on the glucuronidation of anabolic androgenic steroids and their phase I metabolites by 11 recombinant human UDP-glucuronosyltransferases (UGTs) was carried out using liquid chromatographic-tandem mass spectrometric analyses. Large differences between the enzymes with respect to the conjugation profiles of the 11 tested aglycones were detected. Two UGTs, 1A6 and 1A7, did not exhibit measurable activity toward any of the aglycones that were examined in this study.

Effect of the location of hydrogen abstraction on the fragmentation of diuretics in negative electrospray ionization mass spectrometry.

The diuretic agents bumetanide, xipamide, indapamide, and related compounds were investigated in order to determine the effect of different ionization sites on their collisionally activated dissociation and the corresponding fragmentation pathways. Therefore, analytes were selectively alkylated, and structural analogues as well as deuterium labeled compounds synthesized, which contain a reduced number of ionizable hydrogen atoms. Thus, specific hydrogen abstractions and their correlated dissociation routes of the negatively charged molecules were eliminated, providing evidence for the influence of the location of ionization on product ion spectra.

Mass spectrometric characterization of transferrins and their fragments derived by reduction of disulfide bonds.

Mass spectrometry, proteomics, and protein chemistry methods are used to characterize the cleavage products of 79 kDa transferrin proteins induced by iron-catalyzed oxidation, including a novel C-terminal polypeptide released upon disulfide reduction. Top-down electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry (ESI-MS/MS) of intact multiply-charged transferrin from a variety of species (human, bovine, rabbit, chicken) performed on a quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometer yields multiply-charged b(n)-products originating near residues 56-69 from the N-terminal region, in addition to their complementary y(n)-products. Incubation of transferrin with reductants, such as dithiothreitol (DTT) or tris(2-carboxyethyl)-phosphine (TCEP), yields an increase in multiple charging observed by ESI-MS and an increase in molecular weight consistent with disulfide reduction.