1. Sex- and age-specific reference intervals of 16 steroid metabolites quantified simultaneously by LC-MS/MS in sera from 2458 healthy subjects aged 0 to 77 years.
- Author
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Frederiksen H, Johannsen TH, Andersen SE, Petersen JH, Busch AS, Ljubicic ML, Fischer MB, Upners EN, Hagen CP, Main KM, Aksglaede L, Jørgensen N, Lund Kårhus L, Linneberg A, Andersson AM, Flück CE, and Juul A
- Subjects
- Adolescent, Adult, Aged, Child, Child, Preschool, Female, Humans, Infant, Infant, Newborn, Male, Middle Aged, Young Adult, Age Factors, Cross-Sectional Studies, Healthy Volunteers, Reference Values, Sex Factors, Tandem Mass Spectrometry standards, Liquid Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry methods, Steroids blood, Steroids metabolism
- Abstract
Background: Reference intervals covering the whole life span for all the metabolites in the steroid hormone biosynthesis quantified by sensitive and robust analytical methods are sparse or not existing., Objective: To develop a state-of-the-art LC-MS/MS method for simultaneous quantification of multiple steroid metabolites and to establish detailed sex- and age-specific reference intervals for 16 steroid metabolites., Materials and Method: An isotope diluted LC-MS/MS method was developed for simultaneous quantitation of 16 steroid hormones. Serum samples from cross-sectional cohorts of healthy infants, children, adolescents, and adults aged 0.17 months to 77 years (n = 2458) were analysed., Results: With this novel, specific, and sensitive LC-MS/MS method, it was possible to quantify progesterone, 17-hydroxypregnenolone, 17-hydroxyprogesterone, dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate, androstenedione, testosterone, dihydrotestosterone, 11-deoxycorticosterone, corticosterone, 11-deoxycortisol, cortisol, and cortisone in ≥90 % of the samples, while estrone sulfate, aldosterone and dehydroepiandrosterone were quantified in 77 %, 75 % and 60 % of the samples, respectively. 21-deoxycortisol was only detectable in 2.5 % of samples from healthy subjects. Sex- and age-dependent fluctuations observed in minipuberty, puberty and adulthood including the menopausal transition were modelled. This enabled us to establish valid reference intervals from birth to late adult life for both males and females., Conclusion: Detailed sex- and age-specific reference intervals of multiple, simultaneously quantified steroid metabolites by a novel and specific LC-MS/MS method provides a valuable tool for clinical practice and for future research., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)
- Published
- 2024
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