How to confirm C.E.R.A. doping in athletes' blood?

Forensic Sci Int. 2011 Dec 10;213(1-3):101-3. doi: 10.1016/j.forsciint.2011.07.053. Epub 2011 Sep 1.

Abstract

C.E.R.A. (Continuous Erythropoietin Receptor Activator) is a new third-generation erythropoiesis-stimulating agent that has recently been linked with abuse in endurance sports. The anti-doping community rapidly reacted by releasing a high-throughput screening ELISA allowing the detection of C.E.R.A. doping in athletes' blood. In order to return adverse analytical findings, anti-doping laboratories, however, need, as far as possible, to confirm the presence of the drug in athletes' samples through orthogonal methods. This article focuses on the comparison of 2 proposed confirmation assays based on gel electrophoresis that were coupled with a new sample immunopurification method. IEF, the classical method used to target erythropoietin (EPO) and its recombinant analogues in athletes' samples, and SARKOSYL-PAGE were applied to the plasma samples of subjects having received a single injection of C.E.R.A. It was demonstrated that SARKOSYL-PAGE was at least 6 times more sensitive than IEF, with comparable specificity. A longer detection window coupled with easier interpretation criteria led us to recommend the use of SARKOSYL-PAGE to confirm C.E.R.A. presence in athletes' blood.

Publication types

  • Comparative Study
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Doping in Sports*
  • Electrophoresis, Polyacrylamide Gel*
  • Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay
  • Erythropoietin / blood*
  • Hematinics / blood*
  • Humans
  • Isoelectric Focusing*
  • Male
  • Polyethylene Glycols
  • Substance Abuse Detection / methods*
  • Young Adult

Substances

  • Hematinics
  • continuous erythropoietin receptor activator
  • Erythropoietin
  • Polyethylene Glycols