EPO
Substance: erythropoietin
Erythropoietin - EPO - hit the headlines in 1998 when the
Festina-sponsored team in cycling's Tour de France was disqualified
after being caught red-handed with large quantities of it and other
banned substances. Manufactured naturally by the kidneys, EPO
stimulates the production of red blood cells in bone marrow and
regulates the concentration of red blood cells and haemoglobin in the
blood. This is useful for athletes, since red blood cells shuttle
oxygen to the cells, including muscle cells, enabling them to operate
aerobically. EPO is a peptide hormone and can be produced using
recombinant DNA technology. By injecting EPO, athletes aim to increase
their concentration of red blood cells and, consequently, their
aerobic capacity.
