WADA Prohibited List: Growth Factors and Modulators

Growth Factors and Growth Factor Modulators

• Fibroblast Growth Factor (FGFs) are a family of 22 proteins, with a molecular weight of 17-28 kDa, and a structure consisting of 12-14 beta-strands and 3-4 alpha-helices.
• Hepatocyte Growth Factor (HGF) is a 697-amino acid protein, with a molecular weight of 80-90 kDa, and a structure consisting of 4 kringle domains and 1 serine protease domain.
• Insulin-like Growth Factor 1 (IGF-1) is a 70-amino acid protein, with a molecular weight of 7.5 kDa, and a structure consisting of 3 alpha-helices and 1 beta-sheet.
• Mechano Growth Factors (MGFS) are 110-amino acid proteins, with a molecular weight of 12-15 kDa, and a structure consisting of 2-3 alpha-helices and 1 beta-sheet.
• Platelet-Derived Growth Factor (PDGF) is a family of 4 proteins, with a molecular weight of 24-35 kDa, and a structure consisting of 2-3 alpha-helices and 1 beta-sheet.
• Thymosin-84 (TB-500) and its derivatives are 43-amino acid peptides, with a molecular weight of 5 kDa, and a structure consisting of 1 alpha-helix and 1 beta-sheet.
• Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor (VEGF) is a family of 5 proteins, with a molecular weight of 20-45 kDa, and a structure consisting of 2-3 alpha-helices and 1 beta-sheet.

Key Differences

• Growth factors and growth factor modulators have distinct chemical structures, sizes, and glycosylation sites.
• IGF-1 and MGFs are smaller peptides, while FGFs, HGF, PDGF, and VEGF are larger proteins.
• FGFs, HGF, PDGF, and VEGF have 1-5 N-linked glycosylation sites, while IGF-1, MGFs, and Thymosin-84 do not have any glycosylation sites.
• None of the growth factors and growth factor modulators are pegylated.

Pharmacokinetics

• The onset of action is approximately 1-2 hours.
• The peak effect is approximately 4-6 hours.
• The duration of action is approximately 24 hours.
• The protein's half-life is influenced by its degradation and receptor binding.

WADA Listing

• Growth factors and growth factor modulators are prohibited due to their potential to increase athletic performance by stimulating muscle growth and regeneration.