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Sulfate metabolites of endogenous anabolic androgenic steroids (EAAS) have been shown to prolong the detection times compared with the conventional urinary markers of the steroid profile for oral and intramuscular administrations of testosterone (T). In this work, the sensitivity of sulfate EAAS markers for the detection of T gel administration has been evaluated in six Caucasian and six Asian male volunteers. Fourteen sulfate metabolites were measured in basal and post-administration samples after multiple doses of T gel (100 mg/day, three consecutive days), and the detection times based on individual thresholds for each volunteer were evaluated. Sulfate concentrations did not show adequate sensitivity, but the results of sulfate ratios were much more promising. Androsterone sulfate/testosterone sulfate (A-S/T-S), epiandrosterone sulfate/epitestosterone sulfate (epiA-S/E-S), epiA-S/T-S, and etiocholanolone sulfate/epitestosterone sulfate (Etio-S/E-S) provided the most consistent detectability for all volunteers and populations, with detection times ranging from 60 to 96 h since the first dose. Additional ratios improved detectability to up to 7 days, but only in particular volunteers. In general, sensitivity was similar to or better than the conventional testosterone/epitestosterone ratio (T/E) of the steroid profile, which further reinforces the conclusion that sulfate EAAS metabolites can be a good complement for the current steroid profile., (© 2023 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.)

In the present study, the application and evaluation of Girard's Reagent T (GRT) derivatization for the simultaneous detection and significantly important identification of different phase II methenolone and mesterolone metabolites by LC-MS/(MS) are presented. For the LC-MS analysis of target analytes two complementary isolation methods were developed; a derivatization and shoot method in which native urine is diluted with derivatization reagent and is injected directly to LC-MS and a liquid-liquid extraction method, using ethyl acetate at pH 4.5, for the effective isolation of both sulfate and glucuronide metabolites of the named steroids as well as of their free counterparts. For the evaluation of the proposed protocols, urine samples from methenolone and mesterolone excretion studies were analyzed against at least one sample from a different excretion study. Retention times, along with product ion ratios, were evaluated according to the WADA TD2021IDCR requirements, in order to determine maximum detection and identification time windows for each metabolite. Established identification windows obtained after LC-MS/(MS) analysis were further compared with those obtained after GC-MS/(MS) analysis of the same samples from the same excretion studies, for the most common analytes monitored by GC-MS/(MS). Full validation was performed for the developed derivatization and shoot method for the identification of methenolone metabolite, 3α-hydroxy-1-methylen-5α-androstan-17-one-3-glucuronide (mth3). Overall, the GRT derivatization presented herein offers a tool for the simultaneous sensitive detection of free, intact glucuronide and sulfate metabolites by LC-MS/(MS) that enhance significantly the detection and identification time windows of specific methenolone and mesterolone metabolites for doping control analysis., (© 2023 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Sulfated metabolites have been shown to have potential as long-term markers of anabolic-androgenic steroid (AAS) abuse. In 2019, the compatibility of gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) with non-hydrolysed sulfated steroids was demonstrated, and this approach allowed the incorporation of these compounds in a broad GC-MS initial testing procedure at a later stage. However, research is needed to identify which are beneficial. In this study, a search for new long-term metabolites of two popular AAS, metenolone and drostanolone, was undertaken through two excretion studies each. The excretion samples were analysed using GC-chemical ionization-triple quadrupole MS (GC-CI-MS/MS) after the application of three separate sample preparation methodologies (i.e. hydrolysis with Escherichia coli-derived β-glucuronidase, Helix pomatia-derived β-glucuronidase/arylsulfatase and non-hydrolysed sulfated steroids). For metenolone, a non-hydrolysed sulfated metabolite, 1β-methyl-5α-androstan-17-one-3ζ-sulfate, was documented for the first time to provide the longest detection time of up to 17 days. This metabolite increased the detection time by nearly a factor of 2 in comparison with the currently monitored markers for metenolone in a routine doping control initial testing procedure. In the second excretion study, it prolonged the detection window by 25%. In the case of drostanolone, the non-hydrolysed sulfated metabolite with the longest detection time was the sulfated analogue of the main drostanolone metabolite (3α-hydroxy-2α-methyl-5α-androstan-17-one) with a detection time of up to 24 days. However, the currently monitored main drostanolone metabolite in routine doping control, after hydrolysis of the glucuronide with E.coli, remained superior in detection time (i.e. up to 29 days)., (© 2020 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.)

Steroid detection and identification remain key issues in toxicology, drug testing, medical diagnostics, food safety control, and doping control. In this study, we evaluate the capabilities and usefulness of analyzing non-hydrolyzed sulfated steroids with gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) instead of the conventionally applied liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) approach. Sulfates of 31 steroids were synthesized and their MS and chromatographic behavior studied by chemical ionization-GC-triple quadrupole MS (CI-GC-TQMS) and low energy-electron ionization-GC-quadrupole time-of-flight-MS (LE-EI-GC-QTOF-MS). The collected data shows that the sulfate group is cleaved off in the injection port of the GC-MS, forming two isomers. In CI, the dominant species (ie, [MH - H 2 SO 4 ] + or [MH - H 4 S 2 O 8 ] + for bis-sulfates) is very abundant due to the limited amount of fragmentation, making it an ideal precursor ion for MS/MS. In LE-EI, [M - H 2 SO 4 ] .+ and/or [M - H 2 SO 4 - CH 3 ] .+ are the dominant species in most cases. Based on the common GC-MS behavior of non-hydrolyzed sulfated steroids, two applications were evaluated and compared with the conventionally applied LC-MS approach; (a) discovery of (new) sulfated steroid metabolites of mesterolone and (b) expanding anabolic androgenic steroid abuse detection windows. GC-MS and LC-MS analysis of non-hydrolyzed sulfated steroids offered comparable sensitivities, superseding these of GC-MS after hydrolysis. For non-hydrolyzed sulfated steroids, GC-MS offers a higher structural elucidating power and a more straightforward inclusion in screening methods than LC-MS., (© 2019 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.)

The introduction of alternative markers to the steroid profile can be an effective approach to improving the screening capabilities for the detection of testosterone (T) misuse. In this work, endogenous steroid sulfates were evaluated as potential markers to detect intramuscular (IM) T administration. Fourteen sulfate metabolites were quantified using mixed-mode solid-phase extraction and analysis by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). Urine samples after a single IM injection (100 mg) of T cypionate to six Caucasian and six Asian healthy male volunteers were analyzed. Principal component analysis (PCA) was used to characterize the sample cohort and to obtain the most useful markers for discrimination between pre- and post-administration samples. For Caucasian volunteers, a separation between pre- and post-administration samples was observed in PCA, whereas for Asian volunteers no separation was obtained. Seventeen ratios between sulfate metabolites were selected and further considered. Detection times (DTs) of each marker were evaluated using individual thresholds for each volunteer. The best results were obtained using ratios involving T and epitestosterone (E) sulfates in the denominator. The best marker was the ratio androsterone sulfate/testosterone sulfate (A-S/T-S) which prolonged the DT 1.2-2.1 times in respect to those obtained using T/E ratio in all Caucasian volunteers and 1.3-1.5 times in two Asian volunteers. Other ratios between A-S or etiocholanolone sulfate and E-S, and sulfates of etiocholanolone, dehydroandrosterone or epiandrosterone, and T-S were also found adequate. These ratios improve the DT after IM T administration and their incorporation to complement the current steroid profile is recommended., (© 2019 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.)

The detection of testosterone (T) misuse is performed using the steroid profile that includes concentrations of T and related metabolites excreted free and glucuronoconjugated, and the ratios between them. In this work, the usefulness of 14 endogenous steroid sulfates to improve the detection capabilities of oral T administration has been evaluated. Quantitation of the sulfate metabolites was performed using solid-phase extraction and analysis by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. Urine samples were collected up to 144 hours after a single oral dose of T undecanoate (120 mg) to five Caucasian male volunteers. Detection times (DTs) of each marker were estimated using reference limits based on a population study and also monitoring the individual threshold for each volunteer. High inter-individual variability was observed for sulfate metabolites and, therefore, better DTs were obtained using individual thresholds. Using individual threshold limits, epiandrosterone sulfate (epiA-S) improved the DT with respect to testosterone/epitestosterone (T/E) ratio in all volunteers. Androsterone, etiocholanolone, and two androstanediol sulfates also improved DTs for some volunteers. Principal component analysis was used to characterize the sample cohort, obtaining 13 ratios useful for discrimination. These ratios as well as the ratio epiA-S/dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate were further examined. The most promising results were obtained using ratios between sulfates of epiA, androsterone, or androstanediol 1 and E, and also sulfates of epiA or androstanediol 1, and dehydroandrosterone. These selected ratios prolonged the DT of oral T administration up to 144 hours, which corresponded to a significantly higher retrospectivity compared to those obtained using concentrations or the conventional T/E ratio., (© 2018 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.)

A method based on liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) for the direct quantitation of endogenous steroid sulfates has been developed to be able to evaluate these metabolites as biomarkers to detect the misuse of endogenous androgenic anabolic steroids in sports. For sample preparation, a mixed-mode solid-phase extraction was optimized to eliminate the glucuronide fraction in the washing step thus obtaining only the sulfate fraction. Chromatographic separation was optimized to achieve adequate resolution between isomers. The electrospray ionization and the product ion mass spectra of the sulfates were studied in order to obtain the most specific and selective transitions. The method was validated for quantitative purposes for 11 steroid sulfates obtaining satisfactory values for linearity, accuracy, and intra- and inter-day precision (relative standard deviation better than 16.2%). Limits of quantitation ranged between 0.5 and 2 ng/mL. Extraction recoveries for sulfate metabolites were between 90 and 94%. Matrix effect ranged from 90 to 110% showing the absence of significant ion suppression/enhancement. Samples were found to be stable after 2 freeze/thaw cycles. The applicability of the method was checked by the analysis of 75 urine samples from healthy volunteers (54 males, 37 Caucasian and 17 Asian, and 21 Caucasian females) to evaluate the concentration levels of endogenous sulfate metabolites in basal conditions., (© 2018 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.)

Stanozolol (STAN) is one of the most frequently detected anabolic androgenic steroids in sports drug testing. STAN misuse is commonly detected by monitoring metabolites excreted conjugated with glucuronic acid after enzymatic hydrolysis or using direct detection by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). It is well known that some of the previously described metabolites are the result of the formation of sulfate conjugates in C17, which are converted to their 17-epimers in urine. Therefore, sulfation is an important phase II metabolic pathway of STAN that has not been comprehensively studied. The aim of this work was to evaluate the sulfate fraction of STAN metabolism by LC-MS/MS to establish potential long-term metabolites valuable for doping control purposes. STAN was administered to six healthy male volunteers involving oral or intramuscular administration and urine samples were collected up to 31 days after administration. Sulfation of the phase I metabolites commercially available as standards was performed in order to obtain MS data useful to develop analytical strategies (neutral loss scan, precursor ion scan and selected reaction monitoring acquisitions modes) to detect potential sulfate metabolites. Eleven sulfate metabolites (M-I to M-XI) were detected and characterized by LC-MS/MS. This paper provides valuable data on the ionization and fragmentation of O-sulfates and N-sulfates. For STAN, results showed that sulfates do not improve the retrospectivity of the detection compared to the previously described long-term metabolite (epistanozolol-N-glucuronide). However, sulfate metabolites could be additional markers for the detection of STAN misuse. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., (Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.)

Sulfate metabolites have been described as long-term metabolites for some anabolic androgenic steroids (AAS). 4-chlorometandienone (4Cl-MTD) is one of the most frequently detected AAS in sports drug testing and it is commonly detected by monitoring metabolites excreted free or conjugated with glucuronic acid. Sulfation reactions of 4Cl-MTD have not been studied. The aim of this work was to evaluate the sulfate fraction of 4Cl-MTD metabolism by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) to establish potential long-term metabolites valuable for doping control purposes. 4Cl-MTD was administered to two healthy male volunteers and urine samples were collected up to 8 days after administration. A theoretical selected reaction monitoring (SRM) method working in negative mode was developed. Ion transitions were based on ionization and fragmentation behaviour of sulfate metabolites as well as specific neutral losses (NL of 15 Da and NL of 36 Da) of compounds with related chemical structure. Six sulfate metabolites were detected after the analysis of excretion study samples. Three of the identified metabolites were characterized by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) and gas chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (GC-MS/MS). Results showed that five out of the six identified sulfate metabolites were detected in urine up to the last collected samples from both excretion studies. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., (Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.)

Improvements in doping analysis can be effected by speeding up analysis time and extending the detection time. Therefore, direct detection of phase II conjugates of doping agents, especially anabolic androgenic steroids (AAS), is proposed. Besides direct detection of conjugates with glucuronic acid, the analysis of sulfate conjugates, which are usually not part of the routine doping control analysis, can be of high interest. Sulfate conjugates of methandienone and methyltestosterone metabolites have already been identified as long-term metabolites. This study presents the synthesis of sulfate conjugates of six commonly used AAS and their metabolites: trenbolone, nandrolone, boldenone, methenolone, mesterolone, and drostanolone. In the following these sulfate conjugates were used for development of a fast and easy analysis method based on sample preparation using solid phase extraction with a mixed-mode sorbent and detection by high performance liquid chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS/MS). Validation demonstrated the suitability of the method with regard to the criteria given by the technical documents of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA). In addition, suitability has been proven by successful detection of the synthesized sulfate conjugates in excretion urines and routine doping control samples., (Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.)

2-Phenylethanamine (phenethylamine, PEA) represents the core structure of numerous drugs with stimulant-like properties and is explicitly featured as so-called specified substance on the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) Prohibited List. Due to its natural occurrence in humans as well as its presence in dietary products, studies concerning the ability of test methods to differentiate between an illicit intake and the renal elimination of endogenously produced PEA were indicated. Following the addition of PEA to the Prohibited List in January 2015, retrospective evaluation of routine doping control data of 10 190 urine samples generated by combined gas chromatography-mass spectrometry and nitrogen phosphorus-specific detection (GC-MS/NPD) was performed. Signals for PEA at approximate concentrations > 500 ng/mL were observed in 31 cases (0.3%), which were subjected to a validated isotope-dilution liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (ID-LC-MS/MS) test method for accurate quantification of the target analyte. Further, using elimination study urine samples collected after a single oral administration of 250 mg of PEA hydrochloride to two healthy male volunteers, two tentatively identified metabolites of PEA were observed and evaluated concerning their utility as discriminative markers for PEA intake. The ID-LC-MS/MS approach was extended to allow for the simultaneous detection of PEA and 2-(3-hydroxyphenyl)acetamide sulfate (M1), and concentration ratios of M1 and PEA were calculated for elimination study urine samples and a total of 205 doping control urine samples that returned findings for PEA at estimated concentrations of 50-2500 ng/mL. Urine samples of the elimination study with PEA yielded concentration ratios of M1/PEA up to values of 9.4. Notably, the urinary concentration of PEA did increase with the intake of PEA only to a modest extent, suggesting a comprehensive metabolism of the orally administered substance. Conversely, doping control urine samples with elevated (>50 ng/mL) amounts of PEA returned quantifiable concentrations of M1 only in 3 cases, which yielded maximum ratios of M1/PEA of 0.9, indicating an origin of PEA other than an orally ingested drug formulation. Consequently, the consideration of analyte abundance ratios (e.g. M1/PEA) is suggested as a means to identify the use of PEA by athletes, but further studies to support potential decisive criteria are warranted., (Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.)

The hydrolysis of sulfate ester conjugates is frequently required prior to analysis for a range of analytical techniques including gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Sulfate hydrolysis may be achieved with commercial crude arylsulfatase enzyme preparations such as that derived from Helix pomatia but these contain additional enzyme activities such as glucuronidase, oxidase, and reductase that make them unsuitable for many analytical applications. Strong acid can also be used to hydrolyze sulfate esters but this can lead to analyte degradation or increased matrix interference. In this work, the heterologously expressed and purified arylsulfatase from Pseudomonas aeruginosa is shown to promote the mild enzyme-catalyzed hydrolysis of a range of steroid sulfates. The substrate scope of this P. aeruginosa arylsulfatase hydrolysis is compared with commercial crude enzyme preparations such as that derived from H. pomatia. A detailed kinetic comparison is reported for selected examples. Hydrolysis in a urine matrix is demonstrated for dehydroepiandrosterone 3-sulfate and epiandrosterone 3-sulfate. The purified P. aeruginosa arylsulfatase contains only sulfatase activity allowing for the selective hydrolysis of sulfate esters in the presence of glucuronide conjugates as demonstrated in the short three-step chemoenzymatic synthesis of 5α-androstane-3β,17β-diol 17-glucuronide (ADG, 1) from epiandrosterone 3-sulfate. The P. aeruginosa arylsulfatase is readily expressed and purified (0.9 g per L of culture) and thus provides a new and selective method for the hydrolysis of steroid sulfate esters in analytical sample preparation., (Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.)

Boldione (1,4-androstadien-3,17-dione) is included in the list of prohibited substances, issued by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA). Endogenous production of low concentrations of boldione has also been reported. The objective of this study was to assess boldione metabolism in humans. Detection of boldione metabolites was accomplished by analysis by liquid chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry of urine samples obtained after administration of the drug and subjected to different sample preparation procedures to analyze the different metabolic fractions (free, glucuronides, sulpfates and released in basic media). In addition to boldione, eight metabolites were detected in the free fraction. Four of them were identified by comparison with standards: 6β-hydroxy-boldenone (M3), androsta-1,4,6-triene-3,17-dione (M5), (5α)-1-androstenedione (M6) and (5α)-1-testosterone (M8). Metabolite M7 was identified as the 5β-isomer of 1-androstenedione, and metabolites M1, M2 and M4 were hydroxylated metabolites and tentative structures were proposed based on mass spectrometric data. After β-glucuronidase hydrolysis, five additional metabolites excreted only as conjugates with glucuronic acid were detected: boldenone, (5β)-1-testosterone (M9), and three metabolites resulting from reduction of the 3-keto group. Boldenone, epiboldenone, and hydroxylated metabolites of boldione, boldenone and 1-testosterone were detected as conjugates with sulfate. In addition, boldione and seven metabolites (boldenone, M2, M3, M4, M5, M7 and M9) increased their concentration in urine after treatment of the urine in alkaline conditions. In summary, 15 boldione metabolites were detected in all fractions. The longer detection time was observed for metabolite M4 after alkaline treatment of the urine, which was detected up to 5 days after boldione administration., (Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.)

For the detection of possible misuse of naturally occurring anabolic androgenic steroids like testosterone (T), anti-doping laboratories use a combination of two techniques. One is molecular steroid profiling to evaluate urinary steroid concentrations and normal diagnostic ratios. The other is isotope ratio mass spectrometry (IRMS), in which the ¹³C/¹²C ratios of target analytes like T are compared to the ¹³C/¹²C ratios of endogenous reference compounds (ERCs). The ¹³C/¹²C of the most commonly used ERC, pregnanediol (5β-pregnane-3α,20α-diol, PD), can be influenced by administration of pregnenolone (3β-hydroxy-pregn-5-en-20-one, PREG). Therefore PREG administration bears the potential to circumvent IRMS testing for doping control samples. In order to investigate the influence of PREG on PD and on other urinary excreted steroids, administration studies with oral and transdermal application of PREG were carried out. The influence of PREG administration on concentrations and ¹³C/¹²C ratios of all investigated target analytes was negligible. Only PD and 5β-pregnan-3α-ol-20-one (3aP) showed significant depletion in both their glucuronidated and sulfated steroids. The results suggest that appropriate alternative ERCs are: 11β-hydroxy-androsterone/etiocholanolone, 5β-pregnane-3α,17,20α-triol, pregn-5-ene-3β,17,20α-triol and cholesterol. Due to its properties to disguise the misuse of anabolic steroids by influencing the ¹³C/¹²C ratio of PD, PREG should be considered to be added to the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) list of prohibited substances as a masking agent., (Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.)