Effect of sacubutril/valsartan and dapagliflozin on athletic
performance; Can the popular cardiac medications of recent years be used
as doping agents?
Abstract
Studies conducted in recent years have demonstrated the positive effects
of sacubitril/valsartan and dapagliflozin on cardiac prognosis and
performance. These drugs can potentially be abused as doping agents by
professional athletes. In our study, we evaluated the effects of
sacubitril/valsartan and dapagliflozin on athletic performance. In the
study, the swimming performances of three groups of rats were evaluated
by dividing them into control, sacubitril/valsartan and dapagliflozin
groups. Additionally, echocardiography, weight and rotarod data were
evaluated during follow-up. In the comparison of sacubitril/valsartan
and control groups, a statistical difference was seen in the 13th, 19th
and 20th swimming sessions, and when the total and average swimming
times were compared, the p values were 0.115 and 0.015. In the
comparison of dapagliflozin and control groups, a statistical difference
was observed starting from the 10th swimming session, and when the total
and average swimming times were compared, the p values were
<0.001 and <0.001. In triple analysis, a statistical
difference was seen from the 9th swimming session until the end of the
experiment. Furthermore, a statistical difference was observed in
rotarod results for sacubitril/valsartan and dapagliflozin compared to
baseline. (p value <0.001 and 0.011 respectively) Our study
showed a limited positive effect of sacubitril/valsartan on athletic
performance. The impact of dapagliflozin on athletic performance was
shown to be particularly significant.