Significant increase of salivary testosterone levels after single therapeutic transdermal administration of testosterone: suitability as a potential screening parameter in doping control. Issue 11 (25th October 2013)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Thieme, Detlef; Rautenberg, Claudia; Grosse, Joachim; Schoenfelder, Martin
• Is Part Of: Drug testing and analysis. Volume 5:Issue 11/12(2013:Nov./Dec.)
• Page Start: 819
• Page End: 825
• Publication Date: 2013-10-25
• Subjects: doping -- steroid profiles -- testosterone -- oral fluid -- liquid chromatography‐mass spectrometry -- case study; Drugs -- Analysis -- Periodicals; Drug testing -- Periodicals; Chemistry, Forensic -- Periodicals; 615.1901
• DOI: 10.1002/dta.1536
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1942-7603

Abstract

Abstract : The legally defensible proof of the abuse of endogenous steroids in sports is currently based on carbon isotope ratio mass spectrometry (IRMS), i.e. a comparison between 13 C/ 12 C ratios of diagnostic precursors and metabolites of testosterone. The application of this technique requires a chromatographic baseline separation of respective steroids prior to IRMS detection and hence laborious sample pre‐processing of the urinary steroid extracts including clean up by solid‐phase extraction and/or liquid chromatography. Consequently, an efficient pre‐selection of suspicious control urine samples is essential for appropriate follow up confirmation by IRMS and effective doping control. Two single transdermal administration studies of testosterone (50 mg Testogel® and Testopatch® at 3.8 mg in 16 h, respectively) were conducted and resulting profiles of salivary testosterone and urinary steroid profiles and corresponding carbon isotope ratios were determined. Conventional doping control markers (testosterone/epitestosterone ratio, threshold concentrations of androsterone, etiocholanolone, or androstanediols) did not approach or exceed critical thresholds. In contrast to these moderate variations, the testosterone concentration in oral fluid increased from basal values (30–142 pg/mg) to peak concentrations above 1000 pg/mg. It is likely that this significant increase in oral fluid is due to a pulsatile elevation of free (protein unbound) circulating testosterone after transdermal administration and may be assumed to represent a more diagnostic marker for transdermal testosterone administration. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Abstract : There is a significant increase of testosterone concentrations in oral fluid after transdermal administration of testosterone gel or patches which appears to be a sensitive screening parameter for subsequent confirmation by isotope ratio MS.