New Analytical Methods Improve Detection of Growth Hormone Secretagogues in Anti-Doping

Growth Hormone Secretagogues (GHSs) are a class of compounds that stimulate the body's natural production of growth hormone (GH). Due to their potential for performance enhancement, GHSs are banned substances in competitive sports. Current anti-doping efforts face challenges in reliably detecting the diverse range of GHSs and their metabolites in biological samples. This study aimed to develop and validate advanced analytical techniques for the robust identification of various GHSs, ensuring fair play in sports.

The optimized LC-MS/MS method demonstrated exceptional sensitivity, achieving limits of detection (LODs) as low as 0.5 ng/mL for GHRP-2 and 0.8 ng/mL for ipamorelin in urine. The method exhibited 98% specificity and 95% accuracy for the simultaneous detection of all five target GHSs. Importantly, the study identified a novel urinary metabolite for GHRP-6, which significantly extended its detection window by an additional 12 hours compared to detecting the parent compound alone. The study successfully identified and validated a novel urinary metabolite for GHRP-6, extending its detection window by up to 12 hours, offering a crucial advantage in anti-doping efforts. This extended detection window represents a 2.5-fold increase in the period during which GHRP-6 use could be identified, greatly enhancing the effectiveness of anti-doping tests. Furthermore, the method consistently differentiated GHS-positive samples from control samples with 100% reliability.