STIMULANTS, NARCOTICS AND BETA-BLOCKERS - 25 YEARS OF DEVELOPMENT IN ANALYTICAL TECHNIQUES FOR DOPING CONTROL

More than 25 years of developing doping control methods have led to co mprehensive screening and confirmation procedures for stimulants, narc otics and beta-blockers. Much of this work has been initiated and/or i mproved by the late Prof. Dr. Manfred Donike. The methodological appro ach covered in this overview was applied to doping control procedures during the XXV Summer Olympics in Barcelona, Spain, in 1992 and the XV II Winter Olympics in Lillehammer, Norway, in 1994. Urine samples are screened through a combination of two analytical methods that an compl ementary: (a) gas chromatographic analysis of the parent compound and unconjugated metabolites, following single-step sample extraction and detection by a nitrogen-specific detector based on a retention index i dentification system and (b) gas chromatographic analysis including al so conjugated drugs and metabolites after hydrolysis, solid-phase extr action, derivatisation and mass spectrometric detection. Confirmation and identification is always performed by gas chromatographic separati on and full scan mass spectrometric detection. These methods facilitat e the rapid screening and confirmation of more than 100 stimulants, na rcotic analgesics and beta-blockers in urine for at least 24 h after t he intake of a pharmaceutical dose. Application of the methods ensures high quality standards for the unequivocal identification of doping a gents as well as a rapid turnaround time for sample analyses.