Some athletes are induced to use stimulants to increase their performance in their sports. Many players died due to the use of these stimulants such as energetic drinks, steroids, and caffeine. Our work is focused in the development of new anti-doping methods using the advantages of nanotechnology to improve the time and the sensitivity for drug testing. Formation of the nanoparticles was achieved by the reduction of AgNO3 with NaBH4 and HAuCl4, and adding sodium citrate and polyethylene glycol (PEG). A conventional microwave was applied to complete the synthesis. This technology offers minimization of reaction times and stabilization of nanoparticles. In this research, we study the interactions with caffeine and Human Growth Hormone (HGH) with silver, gold and core shell nanoparticles. Characterization of these nanoparticles was performed using UV-Vis absorption spectroscopy and Diffracted Light Scattering (DLS). We also performed a microscopic analysis to study the effect of these nanoparticles in the form and size of the drug crystals. Caffeine and Human Growth Hormone (HGH) were used for interaction with Au, Ag and Ag/Au core shells nanoparticles. DLS analysis showed that the size was 40 to 60 nm for Au and 40 nm for Ag. The absorption bands for the nanostructures formation were centered in 523 nm for Au and 414 nm for Ag. Diffracted Light Scattering (DLS) study shows a mean diameter of 75 nm for Ag/Au. Interaction of caffeine with Au nanoparticles results in a red shift of 5 nm; HGH with Ag nanoparticles results in a red shift of 6 nm. Therefore, the present study indicates that the combination of the nanoparticles with the selected drugs may be applicable as a new anti-doping method.

Detection of sports doping drugs using noble metals nanoparticles

255th National Meeting (2018)

The official archive and repository for all ACS Meetings & Expositions abstracts and select posters or presentations.