Effects of Salbutamol in Athletes and Implications for Screening and Sports

NCT07037511 | Recruiting

• 1 other identifier: H24-01838
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 64
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

β2-Agonists, commonly used to treat asthma, have also been used by athletes to enhance performance, leading to their ban by the International Olympic Committee in 1972. Research has shown non-asthmatics receive no benefit from these drugs at therapeutic dosages; however, many elite athletes still use them, and asthmatic athletes often win more Olympic medals. In some non-asthmatics, β2-agonists may improve breathing limitations during high intensity exercise, which may improve performance. Therefore, we aim to examine if there is a select group of non-asthmatic individuals who experience breathing limitations that may receive benefit from β2-agonists.

Conditions

Asthma; Healthy; Effect of Drug

Keywords

Exercise Physiology; Expiratory Flow Limitation; Non-Asthmatics; Beta2-Agonists

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (2)

• Difference in time to exhaustion following salbutamol inhalation compared to placebo inhalation.

  Exercise duration will be measured during a time to exhaustion cardiopulmonary exercise test on a stationary cycle ergometer or treadmill.

  Up to 2 weeks

• Sex differences in time to exhaustion following salbutamol inhalation

  Exercise duration will be measured during a time to exhaustion cardiopulmonary exercise test on a stationary cycle ergometer or treadmill. Sexes will be compared within modality.

  Up to 2 weeks

Secondary Outcomes (4)

• To examine the effects of salbutamol on expiratory flow limitation in endurance athletes

  Up to 2 weeks

• To explore sex differences in dyspnea following salbutamol inhalation.

  Up to 2 weeks

• To examine ventilatory responses of male and female endurance athletes to exercise with salbutamol.

  Up to 2 weeks

• To explore the effects of salbutamol on exercise duration and expiratory flow limitation in both asthmatic and non-asthmatic individuals.

  Up to 2 weeks

Study Arms (2)

Salbutamol inhaler

ACTIVE COMPARATOR

Participants will take four inhalations of salbutamol, with 60 seconds between each inhalation, totaling a therapeutic dose of 400µg of salbutamol prior to performing an incremental cardiopulmonary exercise test.

Drug: Salbutamol

Placebo inhaler

PLACEBO COMPARATOR

Participants will take four inhalations of placebo, with 60 seconds between each inhalation, prior to performing an incremental cardiopulmonary exercise test.

Drug: Placebo

Interventions

Salbutamol DRUG

Meter-dose inhaler of salbutamol performed using large-volume spacer

Salbutamol inhaler

Placebo DRUG

Meter-dose inhaler of placebo performed using large-volume spacer

Placebo inhaler

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 18 Years - 55 Years
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64)

You may qualify if:

• Aerobic capacity (V̇O2max) greater than 120% predicted
• Body mass index (BMI) \> 18 and \< 30 kg/m2
• Ability to read and understand English
• Currently training and/or competing in endurance sports (i.e. running or cycling)

You may not qualify if:

• Smoking history or currently smoking. Currently smoking is defined as regular use of cigarettes or cannabis at any point in the past year. History of smoking is defined as smoking more than 1 pack year for cigarettes or the equivalent in cannabis use measured as puffs per day / 200 (number of puffs in a pack of cigarettes).
• Use of cannabis within the past 30 days or has a smoking history of at least 1 pack year.
• Use of vaping devices or e-cigarettes in the past 30 days, or has used them more than 10 times in their lifetime.
• History or current symptoms of cardiopulmonary disease (excluding controlled asthma)
• Contraindications to exercise testing defined as anything that would prevent exercise under proper and safe conditions (e.g., a problem with the heart or lungs, muscle)
• Neuromuscular or musculoskeletal condition

Sponsors & Collaborators

• University of British Columbia: lead

Study Sites (1)

St. Paul's Hospital

Vancouver, British Columbia, V6Z1Y6, Canada

RECRUITING

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Asthma

Interventions

Albuterol

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Bronchial Diseases; Respiratory Tract Diseases; Lung Diseases, Obstructive; Lung Diseases; Respiratory Hypersensitivity; Hypersensitivity, Immediate; Hypersensitivity; Immune System Diseases

Intervention Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Ethanolamines; Amino Alcohols; Alcohols; Organic Chemicals; Amines; Phenethylamines; Ethylamines

Study Officials

• Jordan A Guenette, PhD

  University of British Columbia

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Central Study Contacts

Satvir S Dhillon, MSc

CONTACT

604-806-8835; satvir.dhillon@hli.ubc.ca

Jordan A Guenette, PhD

CONTACT

604-806-8835; jordan.guenette@hli.ubc.ca

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Masking: TRIPLE
• Who Masked: PARTICIPANT, INVESTIGATOR, OUTCOMES ASSESSOR
• Purpose: BASIC SCIENCE
• Intervention Model: CROSSOVER
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Professor

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: June 17, 2025
• First Posted: June 25, 2025
• Study Start: October 30, 2025
• Primary Completion (Estimated): December 31, 2029
• Study Completion (Estimated): December 31, 2030
• Last Updated: March 13, 2026

Record last verified: 2025-06

Locations

CA (1)