Toward the use of a molecularly imprinted polymer in doping analysis: selective preconcentration and analysis of testosterone and epitestosterone in human urine

Anal Chem. 2010 Jun 1;82(11):4420-7. doi: 10.1021/ac100128c.

Abstract

A molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP), templated with methyltestosterone, has been synthesized for the cleanup of hydrolyzed urine samples for subsequent testosterone (T) quantification by LC-MS/MS. A concentration of 2 ng/mL testosterone could be quantified after a single step extraction on the MIP. The limit of detection and quantification with the criteria of a signal-to-noise ratio of 3 and 5 were 0.3 and 2 ng/mL, respectively. These values meet the conditions set by the World Anti-Doping Agency for the minimum required performance limits for doping controls, between 2 and 10 ng/mL. Epitestosterone (E) was also separated on this polymer and could be detected at concentrations down to 0.3 ng/mL. The quantification of T and E gives access to the determination of the T/E ratio, essential in doping analysis. Hence, our polymers can offer a more specific extraction procedure, resulting in increased sensitivity with limits of detection 10 times lower than the ones achieved by the standard SPE C(18) sorbents employed in official testing laboratories.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Analytic Sample Preparation Methods / methods*
  • Chromatography, Liquid
  • Doping in Sports*
  • Epitestosterone / chemistry
  • Epitestosterone / isolation & purification
  • Epitestosterone / urine*
  • Humans
  • Hydrolysis
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Molecular Imprinting*
  • Polymers / chemical synthesis*
  • Radioactivity
  • Tandem Mass Spectrometry
  • Testosterone / chemistry
  • Testosterone / isolation & purification
  • Testosterone / urine*
  • Urinalysis / methods*
  • Water / chemistry

Substances

  • Polymers
  • Water
  • Testosterone
  • Epitestosterone