The endresult is improved athletic endurance and performance. They are manufacturedsubstances designed to aid in the transport
of oxygen throughout the body andachieve the same end as blood doping.Ifsufficient oxygen is available in the cell, the pyruvic acid enters the mitochondriawhere more ATP is produced. Of these, red blood cells (
erythrocytes) are themost relevant to blood oxygenation enhancement. As blood passes through thelungs, oxygen molecules attach to the hemoglobin, and as blood passes throughthe body’s tissues, the hemoglobin releases that oxygen to the cells(Franklin). According to the WorldAnti-Doping Agency, or WADA,
artificial oxygen carriers are defined as“chemicals used to increase the ability to carry extra oxygen in the blood”. Theycome in the form of modified hemoglobin solutions and perfluorochemicals.WADA defines blood dopingas “the administration of blood or blood-related products in order to increasethe number of red blood cells in the body”. ArtificialOxygen CarriersArtificialoxygen carriers are manufactured substances designed to aid in the transport ofoxygen throughout the body. As noted previously, hemoglobin is the naturaloxygen carrier in human blood. The searchfor a combatant to that breakdown has lead to the development of threegenerations of modifiedhemoglobin solutions, the latest of which involves the encapsulation of thecontents of erythrocytes inside artificial erythrocytes with artificial membranes. Specifically,oxygen molecules are dissolved in the PFC particles as the particles passthrough the lungs via the bloodstream. The central difference, however, is themechanical means by which each transports oxygen molecules. With PFCs though,the amount of oxygen transported is related to the solubility of the gas beingtransported. To increase oxygen transfer, one simply has to increase the oxygenconcentration of the gas being inhaled (Gaudard). BloodDopingThere are two methods ofblood doping: transfusion and the stimulation of endogenous erythrocyteproduction. Transfusion is the transfer of blood into a person’s vein. The EPOthen causes more erythrocytes to be produced in the body’s bone marrow. Accordingly,the additional erythrocytes result in the presence of additional hemoglobinmolecules, which aid in the delivery of oxygen to the body’s tissues. As thisextra oxygen reaches the hypoxic tissues and alleviates the deficiency, thesensor in the kidneys that triggered erythropoiesis shuts off, and theproduction of additional EPO above normal levels is halted (Gaudard).Erythropoiesis can beinduced in two ways: by the administration of synthetic erythropoietin and bythe inducement of hypoxic conditions. Since the air the athlete inhalescontains less oxygen per breath, there is less oxygen available to betransported to the athlete’s muscles. Finally, a reverse approach is the use ofsupplemental oxygen.