Endocrine Abstracts

Measuring circulating androgen and gestagen concentrations is essential for the diagnosis and treatment monitoring of pathological conditions caused by abnormal steroidogenesis, such as congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH) and polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). Saliva collection represents a simple and non-invasive technique advantageous for multi sample profiling. We therefore developed a liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry assay for the s...

Measuring circulating androgen and gestagen concentrations is essential for the diagnosis and treatment monitoring of pathological conditions caused by abnormal steroidogenesis, such as congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH) and polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). Saliva collection represents a simple and non-invasive technique advantageous for multi sample profiling. We therefore developed a liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry assay for the s...

Background: Cushing’s syndrome (CS) is caused by endogenous cortisol excess and is associated with significant morbidity. Twenty-four-hour urinary cortisol is one of the most useful tools to diagnose CS although it has limitations, especially in “mild” and “subclinical” forms of cortisol excess. We hypothesized that given the diurnal rhythm of physiological cortisol secretion, night-time urinary glucocorticoid excretion should be lower than day-time ex...

Comprehensive multi-steroid profiling offers a powerful tool for the investigation, diagnosis and management of steroidogenic disorders by simultaneously quantifying multiple steroids from several pathways of steroid biosynthesis and metabolism. Difficulties can arise when optimising chromatography and mass spectrometry conditions for many analytes in a single method. Low concentrations of ammonium fluoride have previously been shown to enhance the sensitivity of select analyt...

Background: Development of multi-steroid profiling allows comprehensive investigation into the different branches of steroid metabolism. Immunoassays only allow analysis of a single steroid per assay and suffer from problems with specificity due to cross reactivity of similar steroids. Liquid-chromatography mass spectrometry has the specificity to analyse multiple steroids in a single experiment and the dynamic range to quantify steroids at high concentrations such as those ob...

Background: In women, androgen excess is associated with an increased risk of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Androgen precursors are released from the adrenal gland and converted to active androgens in peripheral tissues including adipose tissue. Although the liver plays a key role in all metabolic processes in the body, its involvement in androgen metabolism is yet to be explored. Here, we describe the investigation of androgen metabolism in human liver using norm...

Objective: Quantify classic and 11-oxygenated androgens in serum and saliva and determine variations across age, sex, body mass index (BMI), menstruation and hormonal contraception use.Methods: Morning serum samples were collected from 292 healthy volunteers (125 men, 22-95 years; 167 women, 21-91 years). Morning saliva was collected from 83 healthy volunteers (51 women, 32 men). 25 individuals (12 women, 13 men) also collected a 7-timepoint diurnal sali...

BackgroundPolycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) is the most prevalent endocrine disorder in women of reproductive age. The main components are hyperandrogenemia and oligo-/amenorrhea. The pathophysiology of PCOS is not fully understood which is why no causal treatment options are available. A multitude of observational studies demonstrated elevated C-reactive protein (CRP) levels in patients with PCOS compared with weight-matched controls. CRP is a sensitive ...

BackgroundStandard glucocorticoid (GC) therapy in classic congenital adrenal hyperplasia due to 21-hydroxylase deficiency (21-OHD-CAH) is often inadequate in controlling adrenal androgen excess, leading to GC over-exposure and poor health outcomes. A novel modified-release formulation of hydrocortisone (MR-HC, Chronocort® Diurnal Ltd. UK) has been shown to improve circulating adrenal androgen excess in 21-OHD-CAH. We investigated whether saliva and ...

Background: The gonads are the major source of classic androgens during reproductive years. Additionally, the adrenal gland produces precursors for both classic and 11-oxygenated androgen biosynthesis, with androgen activation predominantly occurring in peripheral target tissues of androgen action. We used liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry to profile classic and 11-oxygenated androgens in serum and saliva across the adult age range and assessed diurnal as well as ...