Glycine-modified growth hormone secretagogues identified in seized doping material

Drug Test Anal. 2019 Feb;11(2):350-354. doi: 10.1002/dta.2489. Epub 2018 Sep 11.

Abstract

A number of unknown pharmaceutical preparations seized by Danish customs authorities were submitted for liquid chromatography-high resolution mass spectrometry (LC-HRMS) analysis. Comparison with reference standards unequivocally identified the content of the powders as analogs of the growth hormone secretagogues GHRP-2 (Pralmorelin), GHRP-6, Ipamorelin, and modified growth hormone releasing factor (modified GRF 1-29), which can be used as performance-enhancing substances in sports. In all cases, the detected modification involved the addition of an extra glycine amino acid at the N-terminus, and analytical methods targeting growth hormone secretagogues should hence be updated accordingly.

Keywords: LC-MS; Peptide hormones; doping; growth hormone secretagogues; modified GRF 1-29.

MeSH terms

  • Doping in Sports*
  • Glycine / chemistry*
  • Growth Hormone-Releasing Hormone / analysis*
  • Growth Hormone-Releasing Hormone / chemistry
  • Oligopeptides / analysis*
  • Oligopeptides / chemistry
  • Peptide Fragments / analysis*
  • Peptide Fragments / chemistry
  • Performance-Enhancing Substances / analysis*
  • Powders
  • Reference Standards
  • Secretagogues / analysis*
  • Secretagogues / chemistry
  • Substance Abuse Detection / methods*

Substances

  • Oligopeptides
  • Peptide Fragments
  • Performance-Enhancing Substances
  • Powders
  • Secretagogues
  • Growth Hormone-Releasing Hormone
  • somatotropin releasing hormone (1-29)
  • growth hormone-releasing peptide-2
  • Glycine
  • ipamorelin