Detecting Growth Hormone Abuse in Athletes

Catching athletes abusing human growth hormone (GH) by official anti-doping tests is challenging because of specific properties of the hormone. Furthermore, the chemical structure of recombinant GH (rGH) is identical to that of the main GH isoform secreted by the pituitary, making it difficult to discriminate between endogenous and injected GH molecules by biochemical tests. The approaches developed to solve the problem include the marker approach, which measures changes in concentration of GH-dependent proteins that are inappropriately elevated after rGH injection, and the isoform approach, which detects changes in the spectrum of circulating GH isoforms after administration of rGH. A more widespread use of these tests in out-of-competition controls will enhance the likelihood to detect GH doping.