Affiliations 

  • 1 Advanced Medical & Dental Institute (AMDI), Universiti Sains Malaysia, 13200 Kepala Batas, Penang, Malaysia. Electronic address: citartan@gmail.com
  • 2 Advanced Medical & Dental Institute (AMDI), Universiti Sains Malaysia, 13200 Kepala Batas, Penang, Malaysia; Department of Oral Biology & Biomedical Sciences and OCRCC, Faculty of dentistry, University of Malaya, 50603 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
  • 3 Department of Oral Biology & Biomedical Sciences and OCRCC, Faculty of dentistry, University of Malaya, 50603 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
  • 4 Advanced Medical & Dental Institute (AMDI), Universiti Sains Malaysia, 13200 Kepala Batas, Penang, Malaysia
  • 5 Advanced Medical & Dental Institute (AMDI), Universiti Sains Malaysia, 13200 Kepala Batas, Penang, Malaysia. Electronic address: tangth@amdi.usm.edu.my
Biosens Bioelectron, 2015 Jan 15;63:86-98.
PMID: 25058943 DOI: 10.1016/j.bios.2014.06.068

Abstract

The illegal administration of recombinant human erythropoietin (rHuEPO) among athletes is largely preferred over blood doping to enhance stamina. The advent of recombinant DNA technology allowed the expression of EPO-encoding genes in several eukaryotic hosts to produce rHuEPO, and today these performance-enhancing drugs are readily available. As a mimetic of endogenous EPO (eEPO), rHuEPO augments the oxygen carrying capacity of blood. Thus, monitoring the illicit use of rHuEPO among athletes is crucial in ensuring an even playing field and maintaining the welfare of athletes. A number of rHuEPO detection methods currently exist, including measurement of hematologic parameters, gene-based detection methods, glycomics, use of peptide markers, electrophoresis, isoelectric focusing (IEF)-double immunoblotting, aptamer/antibody-based methods, and lateral flow tests. This review gleans these different strategies and highlights the leading molecular recognition elements that have potential roles in rHuEPO doping detection.

* Title and MeSH Headings from MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine.