Transcriptomic Markers of Recombinant Human Erythropoietin Micro-Dosing in Thoroughbred Horses.

ABSTRACT: Recombinant human erythropoietin (rHuEPO) is a well-known performance enhancing drug in human athletes, and there is anecdotal evidence of it being used in horse racing for the same purpose. rHuEPO, like endogenous EPO, increases arterial oxygen content and thus aerobic power. Micro-doping, or injecting smaller doses over a longer period of time, has become an important concern in both human and equine athletics since it is more difficult to detect. Horses offer an additional challenge of a contractile spleen, thus large changes in the red blood cell mass occur naturally. To address the challenge of detecting rHuEPO doping in horse racing, we determined the transcriptomic effects of rHuEPO micro-dosing over seven weeks in exercised Thoroughbreds. RNA-sequencing of peripheral blood mononucl

SUBMITTER: Dahlgren AR 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8702184 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature