Growth hormone abuse

Holt, R.I., Erotokritou-Mulligan, I., and Sonksen, EH. (2009) The history of doping and growth hormone abuse in sport. Growth Hormone and IGF Research, 19,320-326. 

Holt, R.I.G. (2009) Detecting growth hormone abuse in athletes. Drug Testing and Analysis, 1, DOI 10.1002/dta.l059. 

Certain medicines may not be imported under the personal importation provisions, including drugs of abuse, such as narcotics, amphetamines and psychotropic substances, and anabolic substances, androgenic steroids and treatments for alcohol and drug addiction. There are also controls over certain other medicines including erythropoietin, growth hormones and gonadotrophins. 

A partial empty sella syndrome occurred in an elite 39-year-old body-builder with a 17-year history of drug abuse involving growth hormone, anabolic steroids, testosterone, and thyroid hormone (82). 

Partial empty sella syndrome (pituitary atrophy) has been described in an elite body builder who had abused various hormones, including testosterone, growth hormone, and triiodothyronine 25 micrograms qds for many years (56). He presented with infertility, and investigations showed suppression of serum TSH, a raised serum T3, and a partially empty pituitary sella. 

Jenkins PJ. Growth hormone and exercise physiology, use and abuse. Growth Horm IGF Res 2001 11 (suppl) S71-77. 

Furthermore, GHB can be further metabolized by p-oxidation to trans-4-hydroxycrotonic acid, which aisc can bind to the GHB receptor. Body builders use these compounds as well in an attempt to enhance the release of growth hormone. Usually, however, chronic abuse leads to tolerance, with a need to increase dcsing and a prcpensity to produce physical dependence (43). A sericus and difficult-to-treat withdrawal syndrcme frcm GHB abuse has been dccumented. 

In another forensic science application, electrospray LC-MS was used to determine elevated levels of insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1) in serum as an indication of growth hormone (GH, somatotropin) abuse in racehorses. Structural identity of IGF-1 was confirmed by LC-MS and LC-MS/MS characterization of the endoproteinase Asp-N digestion product. 

Drug abuse Since IGF-I mediates many of the anabolic actions of growth hormone, it is on the World Anti-Doping Agency list of prohibited substances [25 ]. 

Pagonis T, Ditsios K, Givissis P, Pagonis A, Christodoulou A. Abuse of growth hormone increases the risk of persistent de Quervain tenosynovitis. Am J Sports Med 2009 37 2228-33. 

GC-MS plays an important role in many application areas, including the characterization of components in petroleum and derived products and in essential oils, the identification and quantitation of compounds of environmental interest such as polychlorodibenzodioxins and related compounds, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, pesticides and herbicides, and a variety of other microcontaminants. In addition, GC-MS is important in the analysis of compounds of pharmacological, forensic and/ or toxicological interest, including drugs, anaesthetics, steroids, growth hormones and drugs of abuse. 

Erotokritou-Mulligan, L, Bassett, E.E., Kniess, A., et al. (2007) Validation of the growth hormone (GH)-dependent marker method of detecting GH abuse in sport through the use of independent data sets. Growth Hormone and IGF Research, 17,416-423. 

Radetti, G., Buzi, F.,Tonini, G., et al. (2004) Growth hormone (GH) isoforms following acute 22-kDa GH injection Is it useful to detect GH abuse International Journal of Sports Medicine, 25,205-208. 

Graham, M.R., Evans, P, Davies, B., and Baker, J.S. (2008) AAS, growth hormone, and insulin abuse Psychological and neuroendocrine effects. Therapeutics and Clinical Risk Management, 4,587-597. 

The distribution of residues of anabolic hormonal-type growth promoters in animal tissues depends on their mode of metabolism and excretion. Residues are commonly found in muscle, fat, liver, kidney, and milk, as well as in urine, bile, and feces. In general, residue concentrations tend to be higher in the excreta than in tissues. Control of the abuse of these compounds is usually carried out through the analysis of edible tissues, injection sites, kidney, fat, urine, or even feces. In recent years, use of fecal samples has become of increasing importance because of their ease of collection in intensive livestock farming. 

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