Anabolic-androgenic steroids are some of the most frequently detected drugs in amateur and professional sports. Doping control laboratories have developed numerous assays enabling the determination of administered drugs and/or their metabolic products that allow retrospectives with respect to pharmacokinetics and excretion profiles of steroids and their metabolites. A new metabolite generated from metandienone has been identified as 18-nor-17beta-hydroxymethyl,17alpha-methyl-androst-1,4,13-trien-3-one in excretion study urine samples providing a valuable tool for the long-term detection of metandienone abuse by athletes in sports drug testing. The metabolite was characterized using gas chromatography/(tandem) mass spectrometry, liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry and liquid chromatography/high-resolution/high-accuracy (tandem) mass spectrometry by characteristic fragmentation patterns representing the intact 3-keto-1,4-diene structure in combination with typical product ions substantiating the proposed C/D-ring structure of the steroid metabolite. In addition, structure confirmation was obtained by the analysis of excretion study urine specimens obtained after administration of 17-CD(3)-labeled metandienone providing the deuterated analogue to the newly identified metabolite. 18-Nor-17beta-hydroxymethyl,17alpha-methyl-androst-1,4,13-trien-3-one was determined in metandienone administration study urine specimens up to 19 days after application of a single dose of 5 mg, hence providing an extended detection period compared with commonly employed strategies.

The discovery and implementation of the long-term metabolite of metandienone, namely 17β-hydroxymethyl-17α-methyl-18-norandrost-1,4,13-trien-3-one, to doping control resulted in hundreds of positive metandienone findings worldwide and impressively demonstrated that prolonged detection periods significantly increase the effectiveness of sports drug testing. For oxandrolone and other 17-methyl steroids, analogs of this metabolite have already been described, but comprehensive characterization and pharmacokinetic data are still missing. In this report, the synthesis of the two epimeric oxandrolone metabolites-17β-hydroxymethyl-17α-methyl-18-nor-2-oxa-5α-androsta-13-en-3-one and 17α-hydroxymethyl-17β-methyl-18-nor-2-oxa-5α-androsta-13-en-3-one-using a fungus (Cunninghamella elegans) based protocol is presented. The reference material was fully characterized by liquid chromatography nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy and high resolution/high accuracy mass spectrometry. To ensure a specific and sensitive detection in athlete's urine, different analytical approaches were followed, such as liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (QqQ and Q-Orbitrap) and gas chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry, in order to detect and identify the new target analytes. The applied methods have demonstrated good specificity and no significant matrix interferences. Linearity (R(2) > 0.99) was tested, and precise results were obtained for the detection of the analytes (coefficient of variation <20%). Limits of detection (S/N) for confirmatory and screening analysis were estimated at 1 and 2 ng/mL of urine, respectively. The assay was applied to oxandrolone post-administration samples to obtain data on the excretion of the different oxandrolone metabolites. The studied specimens demonstrated significantly longer detection periods (up to 18 days) for the new oxandrolone metabolites compared to commonly targeted metabolites such as epioxandrolone or 18-nor-oxandrolone, presenting a promising approach to improve the fight against doping.

The misuse of the sympathomimetic and anabolic agent clenbuterol has been frequently reported in professional sport and in the livestock industry. In 2010, a team of athletes returned from competition in China and regular doping control samples were taken within the next two days. All urine samples contained low amounts (pg/ml) of clenbuterol, drawing the attention to a well-known problem: the possibility of an unintended clenbuterol intake with food. A warning that Chinese meat is possibly contaminated with prohibited substances according to international anti-doping regulations was also given by Chinese officials just before the Bejing Olympic Games in 2008. To investigate if clenbuterol can be found in human urine, a study was initiated comprising 28 volunteers collecting urine samples after their return from China. For the quantification of clenbuterol at a low pg/ml level, a very sensitive and specific isotope dilution liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) assay was developed using liquid/liquid re-extraction for clean-up with a limit of detection and quantification of 1 and 3 pg/ml, respectively. The method was validated demonstrating good precision (intra-day: 2.9-5.5 %; inter-day: 5.1-8.8%), accuracy (89.5-102.5%) and mean recovery (81.4%). Clenbuterol was detectable in 22 (79%) of the analyzed samples, indicating a general food contamination problem despite an official clenbuterol prohibition in China for livestock.

Selective androgen receptor modulators (SARMs) are potent anabolic agents with tissue-selective properties. Due to their potential misuse in elite sport, the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) has prohibited SARMs since 2008, and although no representative drug candidate has yet received full clinical approval, recent findings of SARMs illegally sold via the internet have further supported the need to efficiently test for these compounds in doping controls. In the present communication, the mass spectrometric characterization of urinary metabolites of the SARM Andarine (also referred to as S-4) compared with earlier in vitro and animal studies is reported. Liquid chromatography interfaced to high-resolution/high-accuracy (tandem) mass spectrometry was used to identify phase I and II metabolites, confirming the predicted target analytes for sports drug testing purposes including the glucuronic acid conjugates of the active drug, its monohydroxylated and/or deacetylated product, the hydrolysis product resulting from the removal of the compound's B-ring, as well as the sulfate of the monohydroxylated and the deacetylated phase I metabolite. The obtained data will support future efforts to effectively screen for and confirm the misuse of the non-approved drug candidate Andarine.

On the one hand, 19-norandrosterone (NA) is the most abundant metabolite of the synthetic anabolic steroid 19-nortestosterone and related prohormones. On the other hand, small amounts are biosynthesized by pregnant women and further evidence exists for physiological origin of this compound. The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) formerly introduced threshold concentrations of 2 or 5 ng of NA per ml of urine to discriminate 19-nortestosterone abuse from biosynthetic origin. Recent findings showed however, that formation of NA resulting in concentrations in the range of the threshold levels might be due to demethylation of androsterone in urine, and the WADA 2006 Prohibited List has defined NA as endogenous steroid. To elucidate the endogenous or exogenous origin of NA, (13)C/(12)C-analysis is the method of choice since synthetic 19-nortestosterone is derived from C(3)-plants by partial synthesis and shows delta(13)C(VPDB)-values of around -28 per thousand. Endogenous steroids are less depleted in (13)C due to a dietary mixture of C(3)- and C(4)-plants. An extensive cleanup based on two high performance liquid chromatography cleanup steps was applied to quality control and doping control samples, which contained NA in concentrations down to 2 ng per ml of urine. (13)C/(12)C-ratios of NA, androsterone and etiocholanolone were measured by gas chromatography/combustion/isotope ratio mass spectrometry. By comparing delta(13)C(VPDB)-values of androsterone as endogenous reference compound with NA, the origin of NA in doping control samples was determined as either endogenous or exogenous.