Synthesis and characterization of the N-terminal acetylated 17-23 fragment of thymosin beta 4 identified in TB-500, a product suspected to possess doping potential

The formulation TB-500 is suspected to be used as doping agent in sport. This work describes the detection and the identification of the N-terminal acetylated 17-23 fragment of human thymosin beta 4 (Ac-LKKTETQ) in TB-500 by means of high-performance liquid chromatography/high resolution mass spectrometry using an Orbitrap Exactive benchtop mass spectrometer. Ac-LKKTETQ was also synthesized by solid-phase peptide synthesis, and an analytical strategy for detection in plasma and urine by high-performance liquid chromatography/low resolution triple-quadrupole mass spectrometry was suggested.