LCMS_Chap09 (JB-D)

This definition is clearly legally motivated and does not support the discussion of technical issues. The number and classes of prohibited substances is very complex in human sports, where selected stimulants, narcotics, hormones, β2agonists, anti-oestrogenic agents and diuretics are covered. The situation becomes even more confusing if the term ‘doping’ is extended to animal (e.g. equestrian) sports, where any application of pharmaceutical drugs is totally prohibited and even substance classes like muscle relaxants or mild stimulants are included. Moreover, doping analysis is closely related to adjacent fields with similar analytical prospects, like veterinary residue control (predominantly dealing with identification of growth promoters in various matrices), forensic sciences (the majority of doping-relevant substances are scheduled as controlled substances in most countries), environmental analysis (e.g. steroids in waste water) or clinical chemistry (e.g. due to the increasing relevance of steroid hormone replacement therapy). This chapter describes the key fields of application of LC-MS in routine doping control (i.e. screening analysis, confirmation and quantification of positive results) extra to particular research activities. The latter are focused on the intended technical improvements (e.g. extension of detection time windows, reduction of turnaround times and costs) of conventional analytical procedures and, in particular, on the detection of prohibited substances that cannot be adequately identified so far (e.g. growth hormone). The arrangement follows mainly historical and technical considerations, and does not necessarily represent the frequency or relevance of the application of LC-MS.