Salivary testosterone in prostatic carcinoma

Saliva-based biosensors: noninvasive monitoring tool for clinical diagnostics

Saliva is increasingly recognised as an attractive diagnostic fluid. The presence of various disease signalling salivary biomarkers that accurately reflect normal and disease states in humans and the sampling benefits compared to blood sampling are some of the reasons for this recognition. This explains the burgeoning research field in assay developments and technological advancements for the detection of various salivary biomarkers to improve clinical diagnosis, management, and treatment. This paper reviews the significance of salivary biomarkers for clinical diagnosis and therapeutic applications, with focus on the technologies and biosensing platforms that have been reported for screening these biomarkers.

Rapid determination of natural steroidal hormones in saliva for the clinical diagnoses

Background

Saliva samples are easily collectable and non-invasive, and the monitoring of natural steroidal hormones, such as estrone (E1), 17β-estradiol (E2), estriol (E3), progesterone (P), and testosterone (T), in saliva has attracted much attention due to its numerous potential clinical and health-related applications. Because E1, E2, E3, P and T are useful indicators in numerous clinical and health-related diagnoses, there is a need for simultaneous determination.

Results

A gas chromatography-mass spectrometric assay was developed for rapid simultaneous determination of E1, E2, E3, P and T in saliva for clinical diagnoses. Extraction was achieved with a liquid extraction using 3.0 mL of pentane. The extract was dried and silylated with N-methyl-N-(trimethylsilyl) trifluoroacetamide/NH₄I (100:2) under a catalysis of 1.5% dithioerythritol for 10 min at 90°C. The accuracy of the analytes was in the range of 96% to 112% at concentrations of 0.05 and 0.10 μg/L (5.0 and 10.0 μg/L for E3), respectively, with relative standard deviations of less than 11%. The lowest quantification limits were from 0.002 to 0.6 μg/L for 1.0 mL of saliva.

Conclusion

Natural steroidal hormones were detected in the concentration ranges of nd to 0.2 μg/L in human saliva. The salivary testosterone values in the patients with prostatic carcinoma were significantly lower than in normal males. The method may useful in numerous clinical and health-related diagnoses.

Salivary excretory pattern of testosterone in substitutive therapy with testosterone enanthate

OBJECTIVE

To determine salivary and serum T levels by an RIA method after a single injection of 250 mg IM of commercially available T enanthate.

DESIGN

Research study.

SETTING

Patients attended in a hospital environment.

PATIENTS

Sixteen men with secondary hypogonadism.

INTERVENTIONS

Testosterone enanthate was administered, and salivary samples were taken before the injection. Thereafter, these samples were obtained daily until day 7 and then on alternate days until day 28 after injection. Blood samples were taken previously and after the injection (5 samples during the month).

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE

Salivary and serum T.

RESULTS

Salivary T levels rose from 3.46 +/- 3.16 to 13.82 +/- 7.78 ng/100 mL (0.12 +/- 0.11 to 0.48 +/- 0.27 nmol/L) within 24 hours and remained in that range until day 7. From day 9, 7.20 +/- 2.88 ng/100 mL (0.25 +/- 0.10 nmol/L), a progressive decrease of these values was observed until day 14: 5.18 +/- 2.88 ng/100 mL (0.18 +/- 0.10 nmol/L). From day 16 until day 28, salivary concentrations returned to hypogonadal levels.

CONCLUSION

We conclude that T salivary concentrations may be applied to assess the effectiveness of T substitutive therapy in hypogonadal men and could replace serum in the monitoring of this type of therapy.

Salivary testosterone in cryptorchid pubertal boys: a parameter to assess the gonadal function

The authors studied salivary and serum testosterone (T) levels in basal conditions and at 6 and 12 months after orchidopexy in 36 pubertal boys with unilateral or bilateral cryptorchidism. Boys were divided into two groups according to Tanner classification. Salivary and serum T levels were significantly lower in the group with scanty or absent sexual development than those obtained in the group with normal development. Both groups exhibited similar saliva and serum testosterone values at 12 months of the follow-up study. The data shown indicate that salivary T seems a good index for evaluating the androgenic status of these patients.