Whole-Blood and Peripheral Mononuclear Cell Transcriptional Response to Prolonged Altitude Exposure in Well-Trained Runners

Background: Recombinant human erythropoietin (rHuEpo) abuse by athletes threatens the integrity of sport. Due to overlap in physiological response rHuEpo and altitude exposure, it remains difficult differentiate changes hematological variables caused or altitude, therefore, other molecular methods enhance anti-doping should be explored. Objective: To identify transcriptomic prolonged exposure typical practices used elite athletes. Design: Longitudinal study. Setting: University Cape Town Altitude Training Centre Ethiopia. Participants Intervention: Fourteen well-trained sojourned an training camp Sululta, Ethiopia (?2400-2500 m above sea level) for 27 days. Blood samples were taken before arrival, 24 hours, 9, 16, days after arrival at addition hours 6, 13, upon return level. Main Outcome Measures: analyzed hemoglobin concentration, hematocrit, reticulocyte percentage. The whole blood peripheral mononuclear cells (PBMC) using gene expression microarrays. Results: A unique set 29 10 genes identified commonly expressed every time point PBMC, respectively. There no level blood, only one within PBMC. Conclusions: current study has a series that can now integrated with previously validated abuse, thereby enabling differentiation from exposure.