Biology of Sport

Abstract

3/2022 vol. 39
Short communication

Creatine and creatinine quantification in olympic athletes: dried blood spot analysis pilot study

  1. Olympic Laboratory, Brazil Olympic Committee, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil
  2. Waters Brasil, Barueri, SP, Brazil
  3. Loughborough University, School of Sport, Exercise and Health Sciences, Loughborough, UK
  4. University of Technology Sydney (UTS), Sport & Exercise Discipline Group, Faculty of Health, Australia
  5. University of Technology Sydney (UTS), Human Performance Research Centre, Australia
Biol Sport. 2022;39(3):745–749.
Online publish date: 2021/09/30
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Capillary dried blood spot (DBS) samples facilitate field-based collection without venipuncture. This pilot study aims to evaluate the viability of creatine (Cr) and creatinine (Crt) quantification using fresh capillary serum (CrS/CrtS) and DBS samples (CrDBS/CrtDBS), using Flow Injection Analysis Mass Spectrometry (FIA – MS). Nine Olympic Athletes provided a capillary blood sample to assess CrS/CrtS and CrDBS/CrtDBS quantified by FIA – MS. No difference between CrtS (mean ± SD: 813.6 ± 102.4 µmol/L) and CrtDBS (812.4 ± 108.1 µmol/L) was observed with acceptable variance [SEM 88.7; CV 10.7%; ICC 0.57 (CI 95% 0.06 – 0.84)] and agreement [very strong (Spearman: r = 0.77; p < 0.01) or strong (Pearson: r = 0.56; p = 0.04); Bland Altman: lower (-193) and upper (+196) limits of agreement]. CrS (mean ± SD: 691.8 ± 165.2 µmol/L) was significantly different to CrDBS (2911 ± 571.4 µmol/L) with unacceptable variance [SEM 171.6; CV 27%; ICC 0.002 (CI 95% -0.02 – 0.07)] and ‘weak’ agreement [Spearman: r = 0.21, p = 0.47 and Pearson: r = 0.06, p = 0.84; Bland Altman lower (-3367) and upper (-1072) limits of agreement]. Crt quantification is viable using both CrtS and CrtDBS (but not for Cr and CrS/CrDBS), with the DBS tissue handling technique offering several methodological and practice facing advantages. Future work should expand upon the sample size, explore sport/discipline relevant analytes across a full competitive season, including key training, recovery and performance blocks of their periodized performance plan.
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