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Endocrine Abstracts (2012) 29 S60.3

Swiss Laboratory for doping analses, Epalinges, Switzerland.


Erythropoietin (EPO) is a glycoprotein hormone endogenously produced by the kidney, whose main physiological role is the stimulation of red blood cells production. Since the beginning of the nineties, recombinant human EPO (rhEPO) has been manufactured by pharmaceutical companies and was immediately misused by athletes to increase their muscle oxygenation process, enhancing then tremendously their endurance performances. It is why EPO has been put on the list of the forbidden substances of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), and then of the World Anti-doping Agency (WADA). Nowadays, not only EPO, but all the erythropoiesis-stimulating agents are part of the forbidden peptide hormones from the WADA list. The darbepoietin alpha (NESP for Novel Erythropoiesis Stimulating Protein), the methoxy polyethylene glycol-epoetin beta (CERA for Continuous Erythropoietin Receptor Activator) and the pegninesatide (Hematide) are also cited as example of forbidden compounds when practicing sports competitions. There are nowadays also many biosimilar epoietins on the market, mainly derived from epoietin alpha, widely used by the cheating athletes.

The analytical differentiation of endogenously produced erythropoietin from its recombinant form by using isoelectric focusing (IEF) and double blotting is one of the most efficient tool in the detection of doping with rhEPO. However, because of the use of these various analogous products, it is not always easy to detect them by the standard IEF-method. The different modes of application, by using for example micro doses of EPO biosimilars, make the detection window thinner and the efficiency of any method less robust than expected. Because of the lack of sensitivity of the direct detection of the doping substance, the new individual and longitudinal follow up of the athletes, called the biological passport, will certainly provide the proper answers to question of the abuse of EPO in top level sport.

Declaration of interest: The authors declare that there is no conflict of interest that could be perceived as prejudicing the impartiality of the research project.

Funding: This research did not receive any specific grant from any funding agency in the public, commercial or not-for-profit sector.

Volume 29

15th International & 14th European Congress of Endocrinology

European Society of Endocrinology 

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