Nandrolone is one of the synthetic anabolic steroids banned in sports and has been a popular substance abused by athletes in recent years. One of its major metabolites, 19-norandrosterone (19-NA), has been used as a determinant for drug violations in sports. Current reports regarding nandrolone-positive cases have been related to intake of some nandrolone-free nutritional supplements. The aim of this study was to learn whether if a nutritional supplement sold by over-the-counter (OTC) nutritional stores could yield the same metabolic products as that of nandrolone. If so, what is (are) the substance(s) that contributed to the nandrolone metabolites? To determine the content of an OTC nutritional supplement, a tablet was dissolved in methanol, followed by N-methyI-N-trimethylsilyltrifluoroacetamide (MSTFA)-trimethyliodosilane (TMIS) derivatization prior to gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) analysis. The collected urine samples underwent extraction, enzymatic hydrolysis, and derivatization before the analyses of GC-MS. The results showed that seven anabolic steroids were found as contaminants in the nutritional supplement, in addition to six that were listed in the ingredients by the manufacturer. We confirmed previous reports that administration of the OTC supplement could produce a positive urine test for nandrolone metabolites.
Heptaminol is an antihypotensive drug and is one of the stimulants banned in sport competitions. When heptaminol was fortified to a drug-free urine sample and subjected to solid-phase extraction, trifluroacetic anhydride derivatization, and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry analysis, the results indicated three chromatographic peaks, with one major peak [peak 1 (P1) as heptaminol-2TFA], appearing at retention time 7.17 min, and two minor peaks [peak 2 (P2) and peak 3 (P3) as heptaminol-TFA], appearing at RT 5.87 and 5.81 min, respectively. The characteristic ions of peak mass spectra were m/z 322, 224, and 140 for P1, m/z 223 (molecular ion), 208, 140, and 110 for P2, and m/z 208, 140, and 110 for P3. The urine samples collected from healthy male volunteers who orally ingested a single dose (100 mg) of heptaminol were similar to the analytical results shown in the heptaminol-spiked control urine samples. This result suggested that the unchanged heptaminol was the sole form found in urine. The unchanged parent compound was completely eliminated in urine within 24 h and an average of approximately 97% of the dose was excreted through the renal pathway.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.