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The abuse of diuretics as performance-enhancing drugs and masking agents in sport doping: pharmacology, toxicology and analysis

  1. Amy B Cadwallader1,
  2. Xavier De La Torre1,
  3. Alessandra Tieri1,
  4. Francesco Botrè1,2,*

Article first published online: 31 MAR 2010

DOI: 10.1111/j.1476-5381.2010.00789.x

Issue

British Journal of Pharmacology

British Journal of Pharmacology

Volume 161, Issue 1, pages 1–16, September 2010

Additional Information

How to Cite

Cadwallader, A. B., De La Torre, X., Tieri, A. and Botrè, F. (2010), The abuse of diuretics as performance-enhancing drugs and masking agents in sport doping: pharmacology, toxicology and analysis. British Journal of Pharmacology, 161: 1–16. doi: 10.1111/j.1476-5381.2010.00789.x

Author Information

  1. 1

    Laboratorio Antidoping, Federazione Medico Sportiva Italiana, Largo Giulio Onesti, 1, Rome, Italy, and

  2. 2

    Dipartimento di Management e Tecnologie, ‘Sapienza’ Università di Roma, Via del Castro Laurenziano 9, Rome, Italy

*Professor Francesco Botrè, Laboratorio Antidoping FMSI, Largo Giulio Onesti, 1, 00197 Rome RM, Italy. E-mail: francesco.botre@uniroma1.it

Publication History

  1. Issue published online: 18 AUG 2010
  2. Article first published online: 31 MAR 2010
  3. Received 11 December 2009; revised 29 January 2010; accepted 19 February 2010

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Keywords:

  • diuretics; masking agents; doping analysis; GC/MS;
  • LC/MS-MS

Diuretics are drugs that increase the rate of urine flow and sodium excretion to adjust the volume and composition of body fluids. There are several major categories of this drug class and the compounds vary greatly in structure, physicochemical properties, effects on urinary composition and renal haemodynamics, and site and mechanism of action. Diuretics are often abused by athletes to excrete water for rapid weight loss and to mask the presence of other banned substances. Because of their abuse by athletes, diuretics have been included on The World Anti-Doping Agency's (WADA) list of prohibited substances; the use of diuretics is banned both in competition and out of competition and diuretics are routinely screened for by anti-doping laboratories. This review provides an overview of the pharmacology and toxicology of diuretics and discusses their application in sports. The most common analytical strategies currently followed by the anti-doping laboratories accredited by the WADA are discussed along with the challenges laboratories face for the analysis of this diverse class of drugs.

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