Oxilefrin
a stimulant added to dietary supplements
Oxilefrine (Fig. 1) is a stimulant that was developed as early as the 1930s and studied for medical purposes. In particular, oxilefrine exhibited the following effects: stimulation of the heart, increased blood pressure, and improved respiration. Oxilefrine is not currently available as a medication.
Due to the chemical structural similarity of oxilefrine (para-hydroxyephedrine) to ephedrine (Fig. 2), oxilefrine was banned by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) for use in sports and listed on the Prohibited List under Group S6) Stimulants. The ban on stimulants applies only to competition,
However, since 2009, oxilefrine has been added to dietary supplements and marketed as having performance-enhancing effects. The use of such dietary supplements can lead to positive doping test results in athletes.
Synonyms for Oxilefrine
In dietary supplements containing Oxilefrine, the active ingredient is listed under various names. Examples of synonyms include:
Methylsynephrine,
p-Hydroxyephedrine
, Oxyephedrine,
4-HMP
Doping Relevance and Warning
In 2003, it was reported that track and field athletes Asafa Powell (Jamaica) and Sherone Simpson (Jamaica) tested positive for oxilefrine.
Subsequently, various anti-doping agencies issued warnings to athletes regarding dietary supplements containing oxilefrine. In particular, the German National Anti-Doping Agency pointed out on September 12, 2013, that there is also a possibility that dietary supplements may be contaminated with oxilefrine without this being indicated on the supplement’s label (research by the Center for Preventive Doping Research at the German Sport University Cologne).
Update to the article (2017)
A systematic study on oxilofrine was published in 2016 by Cohen et al.:
Cohen PA, Avula B, Venhuis B, Travis JC, Wang YH(3), Khan IA. Pharmaceutical doses of the banned stimulant oxilofrine found in dietary supplements sold in the USA. Drug Test Anal. 2017 Jan;9(1):135-142. doi: 10.1002/dta.1976. Epub 2016 Apr 7.
Abstract of the article
