URINARY PROFILE OF ANDROGEN METABOLITES AT DIFFERENT STAGES OF PUBERTAL DEVELOPMENT IN A POPULATION OF SPORTING MALE-SUBJECTS

In this cross-sectional study on 140 subjects, several testosterone an d epitestosterone metabolites have been analyzed by gas chromatography -mass spectrometry associated with stable isotope dilution, a techniqu e requested for doping analysis in general, and detection of exogenous testosterone supply in particular. Urinary excretions of luteinizing hormone, testosterone and epitestosterone glucoronides and sulfates, a s well as glucuronides of 5-androstene-3 beta, 17 alpha-diol, 5 alpha- and 5 beta-androstane-3 alpha, 17 alpha-diol and the corresponding 17 beta-isomers, present similar patterns of increase throughout puberta l development, from stage 1 up to stage 5. Excretion levels are signif icantly different in general between stages 1, 2, 3 and 4, the highest percentage increase being observed between stages 3 and 4. None of th e ratios of testosterone to epitestosterone glucuronides are beyond th e threshold value of 6, where testosterone abuse by athletes is suspec ted. No particular pubertal stage exceeded this critical value with a probability higher than p = 0.006, a value that was determined on the whole population. This is consistent with the non-significant differen ces between correlation slopes of regression curves, relating either t estosterone or epitestosterone glucuronide to chronological age. The r atio of testosterone glucuronide to luteinizing hormone increases sign ificantly throughout puberty and this might be a limitation to the wid espread use of this ratio for the detection of testosterone misuse. Ot her ratios, such as testosterone glucuronide to epitestosterone (glucu ronide + sulfate), glucuronides of testosterone to 5-androstene-3 beta , 17 alpha-diol, glucuronides of epitestosterone to 5-androstene-3 bet a, 17 alpha-diol and epitestosterone glucuronide to sulfate, which hav e been suggested as efficient complementary criteria for the detection of testosterone and/or epitestosterone self-administration have non-s ignificant interstage variability, except between stages 3 and 4.