Hair analysis of anabolic steroids in connection with doping control-results from horse samples.

The research investigates the effectiveness of using hair analysis for detecting anabolic steroids such as testosterone propionate in horses, which could be an alternative or complement to common urine testing in doping control.

Objective and Methodology of the Research

• The goal of the research was to explore whether hair samples could be a preferred method for doping control, especially when urine samples are limited or hard to collect.
• The researchers analyzed hair samples from horses to detect anabolic steroids, interpret results, and also gain information on any prior use of these substances.
• The study specifically focused on the detection of testosterone propionate, an anabolic agent.
• The hair samples were examined using a screening procedure that included testosterone, nandrolone, and several esters (testosterone propionate, phenylpropionate, decanoate, undecanoate, cypionate; nandrolone decanoate, dodecanoate and phenylpropionate).
• The detection thresholds or limits of detection (LODs) for these substances were between 0.1 and 5.0 pg/mg.

Analysis and Confirmation

• The researchers confirmed testosterone propionate in the hair samples through a specifically optimized sample preparation method.
• This confirmation was carried out by transforming the samples into trimethylsilyl (TMS) and tert-butyl dimethylsilyl derivatives, which could be detected using gas chromatography-high-resolution mass spectrometry (GC-HRMS) and gas chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (GC-MS/MS).

Findings and Implications

• The research discovered that hair analysis was applicable for detecting anabolic steroids and providing additional information about previous abuse.
• The research also gave a detailed description of how steroids are incorporated into hairs, an insight which can impact the interpretation of results, for instance, in retrospectively estimating the timing of steroid application.
• These findings suggest that hair samples could potentially become a viable method to use in doping control measures, especially when urine samples are hard to come by or in instances where drug usage may have occurred in the distant past.