Blood Doping

Blood Doping is an illicit method used to enhance athletic performance by artificially increasing the number of red blood cells (RBCs) in the bloodstream. More RBCs mean more hemoglobin, which allows the blood to carry more oxygen to muscles, improving stamina and endurance.

Methods of Blood Doping:

1. Blood Transfusions:

• Autologous transfusion: Reinfusion of the athlete’s own blood, drawn weeks earlier and stored.

• Homologous transfusion: Transfusion from a compatible donor.

• In both, extra RBCs boost oxygen-carrying capacity.            

Erythropoiesis-Stimulating Agents (ESAs)

These drugs stimulate the bone marrow to produce more red blood cells.

• Erythropoietin (EPO) Naturally produced by kidneys; recombinant EPO is the most common doping agent.  Example: epoetin alfa
• Darbepoetin alfa (Aranesp): Long-acting synthetic version of EPO.
• Methoxy polyethylene glycol-epoetin beta (Mircera):  Even longer half-life than darbepoetin; harder to detect.

Hypoxia-Inducible Factor (HIF) Stabilizers

These drugs mimic the effect of low oxygen, stimulating endogenous EPO production.

• Roxadustat
• Daprodustat
• Vadadustat

 

Synthetic Oxygen Carriers

Artificial substitutes for hemoglobin to increase oxygen delivery.

• Hemoglobin-based oxygen carriers (HBOCs)

Example: Hemopure, PolyHeme

• Perfluorocarbons (PFCs)

Synthetic molecules that dissolve and transport oxygen.

Example: Oxycyte

                                                                            Snapshot