Drug Testing and Analysis最新文献

{"title":"Identification of Candidate Blood Biomarkers of Recombinant Human Erythropoietin Administration Using Targeted Polar Metabolomics by HILIC-MS/MS.","authors":"Olivier Salamin, Lejla Ramic, Raul Nicoli, Serge Rudaz, Davy Guillarme, Tiia Kuuranne","doi":"10.1002/dta.3943","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/dta.3943","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Increasing oxygen transport through elevated hemoglobin concentration and red blood cell mass is a key objective of blood doping, commonly achieved via recombinant human erythropoietin (rHuEPO) administration or blood transfusions. While the Athlete Biological Passport (ABP) offers an effective indirect tool for detecting such manipulations, its sensitivity and specificity may be limited, particularly in cases involving microdoses or confounding physiological factors. To address these limitations, the identification of novel biomarkers that complement current ABP markers is essential. This study presents a targeted metabolomics approach to discover candidate biomarkers of rHuEPO administration by analyzing polar metabolites in plasma and serum from two administration studies: one involving a single CERA injection, and the other using multiple doses of epoetin delta. Hydrophilic interaction chromatography hyphenated with tandem mass spectrometry enabled the selective and sensitive detection of a panel of polar endogenous metabolites. Following data normalization and stringent quality control, generalized least squares models were applied to evidence temporal changes in metabolite signals. Among the most responsive and concordant markers across both studies were hypoxanthine and inosine, which showed significant and marked increases following rHuEPO administration. Notably, the relative increase of these metabolites coincided with the maximum in reticulocyte percentages, reflecting maximal erythropoietic activity. As intermediates in purine metabolism, their increases are likely tied to augmented purine turnover during red blood cell production. These findings suggest that hypoxanthine and inosine are promising candidate biomarkers to complement existing ABP parameters. However, further validation is required to confirm their reliability and applicability within the ABP framework.</p>","PeriodicalId":160,"journal":{"name":"Drug Testing and Analysis","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2025-08-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144937380","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Biosynthesis and Identification of Clenbuterol Metabolites in Urine and In Vitro Microsome Incubation Samples Using UHPLC-Q-Exactive Orbitrap Mass Spectrometry: A Comparison Between Human and Bovine Metabolism.","authors":"Anuar Gómez-Tagle, Claudia Bressan, Rosa Ventura, Alan Álvarez-Sanchez, Enrique Cardenas-Yong, Benjamín Velasco-Bejarano","doi":"10.1002/dta.3942","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/dta.3942","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Clenbuterol (Clb) is a β2-agonist drug included in the list of substances prohibited during and out of competition by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA-AMA). Several adverse analytical findings have been detected by accredited WADA laboratories, but athletes often claim that results are due to dietary contamination. In this contribution, bovine microsomal incubation and the excretion of bovine and human urinary metabolites of Clb were analyzed and compared using liquid chromatography electrospray Q-Exactive-Orbitrap mass spectrometry to determine differences in Clb metabolism. Urine samples were processed by solid-phase extraction prior to electrospray analysis in both the positive and negative ion modes. MS/MS experiments were obtained by parallel monitoring reaction (PRM) triggered by an inclusion ions list. The strategy for metabolite identification involved the search for typical biotransformation based on accurate mass shifts using diagnostic fragment ions from the parent drug. This approach successfully identified eight metabolites, including a novel N-methylated form of Clb, reported here for the first time. Additionally, four metabolites found exclusively in bovine urine offer significant potential for further research aimed at distinguishing unintentional doping.</p>","PeriodicalId":160,"journal":{"name":"Drug Testing and Analysis","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2025-08-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144937281","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Testing for Meldonium, a Doping Agent, in Human Hair.","authors":"Pascal Kintz, Jean-Claude Alvarez, Laurie Gheddar","doi":"10.1002/dta.3941","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/dta.3941","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Meldonium has been developed in the 70s in Latvia and is currently used in a limited number of countries for heart-related diseases, such as heart attack, failure, or angina pectoris. Due to its metabolic properties (decrease of lactate production, increase of glycogen use, and protective action again oxidative stress), meldonium has been abused by numerous athletes to enhance their performance. The drug has been prohibited by the World Anti-Doping Agency since 2016 and is on the S4.4.3 list (metabolic modulators) of the prohibited substances at all times. As athletes can challenge their anti-doping violation involving meldonium, there is an interest in testing for it in hair in order to document their pattern of exposure. Such hair application can be complicated to develop, as meldonium has a chemical formula close to an amino acid and presents an ionized fraction, which are limiting factors for drug incorporation into hair. Liquid chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry was used. The drug was extracted from hair after methanol incubation in an ultrasound bath and separation on a BEH HILIC column. Linearity was verified from 0.5 to 100 pg/mg (R² = 0.9943). The limit of detection was 0.1 pg/mg. Although their meldonium regimen was unknown, the drug was identified in the proximal hair segment (0 to 1 cm) of three consumers at 0.7, 6.1, and 17 pg/mg, highlighting for the first time the incorporation in hair of this molecule.</p>","PeriodicalId":160,"journal":{"name":"Drug Testing and Analysis","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2025-08-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144937328","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"mRNA Biomarkers in Dried Blood Spots May Improve Detection of Autologous Blood Micro-Transfusions Using an Individualized Approach.","authors":"Andreas Breenfeldt Andersen, Jessica Almeida Oliveira, Francesco Loria, Jacob Bejder, Olivier Salamin, Tiia Kuuranne, Nikolai B Nordsborg, Nicolas Leuenberger","doi":"10.1002/dta.3939","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/dta.3939","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Autologous blood transfusions (ABTs) are prohibited by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), yet detecting autologous blood micro-transfusions (ABMTs) remains a challenge. Due to smaller transfused volumes, ABMTs cause attenuated biomarker changes, limiting detection sensitivity within the Athlete Biological Passport (ABP). This study assessed whether mRNA expression of 5-aminolevulinic acid synthase (ALAS2) and carbonic anhydrase 1 (CA1), measured from dried blood spots (DBS), could serve as sensitive biomarkers of ABMT. In a randomized, placebo-controlled design, 47 trained individuals (24 ♀; mean VO₂peak 56 ± 7 mL·min^-1·kg^-1) were allocated to an ABMT group (n = 23; ♀ = 12) or placebo group (n = 24; ♀ = 12). The ABMT group donated 450 mL of blood and received a 130 mL packed red blood cell reinfusion 4 weeks later. Blood sampling occurred regularly before and after both donation and reinfusion. ALAS2 and CA1 mRNA expression from DBS, and reticulocyte percentage (RET%) from venous blood, were analyzed. Following blood donation, ALAS2, CA1, and RET% increased by 270%, 200%, and 150%, respectively. However, no consistent group-level changes were observed after ABMT. Individualized analysis identified more outliers for ALAS2 than for CA1, and blinded interpretation of individual mRNA profiles achieved > 95% sensitivity and specificity for detecting ABMT. These findings suggest that ALAS2 mRNA expression, assessed via minimally invasive DBS sampling, is a promising biomarker for identifying ABMT. This approach may enhance current anti-doping strategies by improving sensitivity to small-volume autologous transfusions that evade detection through traditional ABP biomarkers.</p>","PeriodicalId":160,"journal":{"name":"Drug Testing and Analysis","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2025-08-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144803023","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Estimation of Plasma Volume by Machine Learning to Improve the Interpretation of the Athlete Biological Passport.","authors":"Bastien Krumm, Laura Lewis, Jakob Mørkeberg, Yorck Olaf Schumacher, Giuseppe d'Onofrio, Basile Moreillon, Raphael Faiss","doi":"10.1002/dta.3938","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/dta.3938","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The identification of confounding factors related to plasma volume (PV) fluctuations is crucial for appropriate qualitative interpretations of Athlete Biological Passport (ABP) profiles. As part of ongoing efforts to remove PV variance from the concentration-based biomarkers such as hemoglobin concentration ([Hb]), a new machine learning model for blood volume (BV) estimation using a single complete blood count analysis was applied within the ABP framework. Forty existing ABP profiles from elite athletes and healthy control subjects were used. PV was estimated using a machine learning model trained on a previous dataset. First, a visual display of the estimated PV shift was added in overlay of individual profiles. Alternatively, individual [Hb] thresholds were adjusted in a new graphical profile to account for PV variations. Finally, a set of ABP profiles with PV estimations was presented to ABP experts to assess the model's relevance in interpreting hematological data. A moderate correlation was found between measured and estimated PV in both men (r = 0.40, p < 0.0001) and women (r = 0.39, p < 0.0001), supporting the validity of the estimation model. In addition, ABP experts favorably assessed the available PV information, particularly the visual representation of PV. This novel estimation model offers distinct advantages (e.g., same biomarkers currently analyzed from routine ABP analyses) and could therefore be of particular interest. Further application of this model in the presence of specific and transient confounding factors may allow to confirm these results.</p>","PeriodicalId":160,"journal":{"name":"Drug Testing and Analysis","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2025-08-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144803022","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Origin and Interpretation of Low Methamphetamine Levels Found in Amphetamine-Positive Urine Samples: Support for Methylation of Amphetamine as a Minor Metabolic Pathway.","authors":"Anders Helander, Annika Andersson, Tomas Villén","doi":"10.1002/dta.3940","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/dta.3940","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Methamphetamine is relatively uncommon on the European drug market, but Swedish drug test laboratories repeatedly detect low methamphetamine concentrations in urine samples containing high amphetamine levels, warranting clinical evaluation for suspected polydrug use. Of 12,062 routine samples screened positive for amphetamines, 86% were confirmed positive (≥ 200 μg/L) for amphetamine, 2.1% for methamphetamine, and 4.0% for 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (ecstasy) by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. Of the 259 methamphetamine-positive samples, 98% contained amphetamine concentrations above the reporting limit, consistent with the metabolic conversion of methamphetamine to amphetamine in the body. However, in most (69%) of these samples, the methamphetamine concentration was only < 2% of the amphetamine level, suggesting methamphetamine was not the primary drug taken. Chiral analysis of selected samples showed that after use of illicit street amphetamine with a racemic content of the l- and d-enantiomers, a similar l/d proportion was observed for methamphetamine. Similarly, in samples from patients receiving d-amphetamine-based ADHD medication, low d-methamphetamine levels were detected, even though the pharmaceutical products contained no methamphetamine. This observation, together with the parallel l/d-enantiomer distributions, supports amphetamine N-methylation as a trace, albeit quantitatively insignificant, metabolic pathway in humans. From both a clinical and forensic perspective, a low urinary methamphetamine concentration of less than a few percent of the amphetamine level therefore does not warrant further clinical evaluation for suspected polydrug use. The present findings further demonstrate that chiral analysis of both amphetamine and methamphetamine is an effective approach for distinguishing between illicit and therapeutic sources in positive screening drug tests for the amphetamines.</p>","PeriodicalId":160,"journal":{"name":"Drug Testing and Analysis","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2025-08-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144797739","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Comment on \"Biology and Management of Male-Bodied Athletes in Elite Female Sports\" by Handelsman and Bermon.","authors":"Gregory A Brown, Brandon Shaw, Ina Shaw, Michael J Joyner, Sandra K Hunter, Jonathon W Senefeld, Ross Tucker, Emma Hilton, Tommy R Lundberg, Chad Carlson, Christopher Kirk","doi":"10.1002/dta.3916","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/dta.3916","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":160,"journal":{"name":"Drug Testing and Analysis","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2025-08-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144797738","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Response to Letter to Editor From Brown et al.","authors":"D J Handelsman, S Bermon","doi":"10.1002/dta.3917","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/dta.3917","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":160,"journal":{"name":"Drug Testing and Analysis","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2025-08-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144797740","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Ethylated Phosphorylcholine as a New Marker for Alcohol Consumption: A Proof of Concept.","authors":"Catalina Dumitrascu, Elias Iturrospe, Els Scheir, Patrick Timmermans, Erik Fransen, Matthias Van Puymbroeck, Glenn Van Nieuwenhove, Maryline Busschots, Diona D'Hondt, Alexia Van Goethem, Wout Claeys, Babette Van Rafelghem, Eline Baetens, Philippe G Jorens, Celine Gys, Werner Jacobs, Hugo Neels, Adrian Covaci, Alexander L N van Nuijs","doi":"10.1002/dta.3937","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/dta.3937","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Alcohol consumption is widespread worldwide and a leading cause of injuries, morbidity, and mortality. Accurately detecting alcohol use with reliable biomarkers is crucial in clinical and forensic settings. Direct alcohol biomarkers, i.e., ethanol (EtOH), ethyl glucuronide (EtG), ethyl sulphate (EtS), phosphatidylethanol 16:0/18:1 (PEth) reflect short- and long-term consumption. Nevertheless, complementary biomarkers with improved specificity and sensitivity are needed to better assess alcohol use, including generating a detailed timeline of consumption. In vitro exposure of HepaRG liver cells to EtOH resulted in the generation of ethylated phosphorylcholine (EtOChoP). This is the first study to investigate the in vivo presence of EtOChoP and its occurrence in medico-legal samples. Proof-of-concept and observational studies assessed EtOChoP, PEth, EtG, EtS, and EtOH in whole blood, and, when available, other matrices were analyzed for EtG, EtS (plasma, serum, urine, hair), EtOH (urine), and EtOChoP (plasma, serum). A single alcohol exposure event (0.5 g/kg EtOH, with blood EtOH concentration peaking at 0.76 g/L at 100 min) led to EtOChoP presence, and, similar to short-term biomarkers (e.g., EtOH, EtG, and EtS in whole blood), EtOChoP was not detected in the following day(s). However, in the observational study, EtOChoP remained detectable even when short-term biomarkers were absent, resembling long-term biomarkers (PEth and hair EtG). Notably, 14% of samples were positive only for EtOChoP, highlighting the need for additional biomarkers. These findings identify EtOChoP as a promising alcohol (ab)use biomarker formed after EtOH consumption and possibly accumulating during chronic drinking. EtOChoP could potentially differentiate between recent drinking and chronic problematic drinking in individuals with high PEth levels.</p>","PeriodicalId":160,"journal":{"name":"Drug Testing and Analysis","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2025-08-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144783094","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Differentiating Positional Isomers of the 2-(Dimethoxyphenyl)-N-(2-(trifluoromethoxy)benzyl)ethanamine Series: A Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry Approach.","authors":"Olga V Kupriyanova, Vadim A Shevyrin, Raziya G Sadykova, Yuri M Shafran","doi":"10.1002/dta.3936","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/dta.3936","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Synthetic derivatives of phenylethanamine, specifically 2-(2,5-dimethoxyphenyl)-N-((2-substituted)benzyl)ethanamines, regularly appear on the global market of new designer drugs and have been reported to be associated with adverse effects in humans who consume them. At the same time, their positional isomers may lack psychoactive effects. These compounds are not currently regulated by legislation and could potentially be used for medical purposes in the future. Continuing the study of the properties of 2-(2,5-dimethoxyphenyl)-N-((2-substituted)benzyl)ethanamines with different substituents, a poorly studied series of 2-(dimethoxyphenyl)-N-(2-(trifluoromethoxy)benzyl)ethanamines (NBOMe(F)) with a trifluoromethoxy group (OCF₃) in the ortho-position of the N-benzyl fragment is of interest. Gas chromatographic analysis revealed the existence of a critical pair of isomers when using an HP-5 type column, the differentiation of which is difficult under varying temperature conditions of the column thermostat. Their separation was achieved on a DB-17MS column under isothermal conditions at a temperature of 210°C. A method using thin-layer chromatography for the differentiation of this critical pair of isomers is also proposed. Retention indices of the isomeric compounds of the NBOMe(F) series and their N-trifluoroacetyl derivatives have been determined, which can serve as an additional identification criterion for gas chromatographic analysis. It has been shown that differentiation of NBOMe(F) isomers using electron ionization mass spectra is only possible if the spectra of both the isomers themselves and their N-trifluoroacetyl derivatives, which exhibit significant differences, are recorded. As an alternative method for differentiating the isomeric compounds, an approach using high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry, which does not require derivatization, is proposed.</p>","PeriodicalId":160,"journal":{"name":"Drug Testing and Analysis","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2025-07-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144937300","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}