title: Further evidence for the usefulness of the salivary testosterone radioimmunoassay in the assessment of androgenicity in man in basal and stimulated conditions.
abstract: Since correct assessment of testicular function and androgenic status in humans requires multiple sampling, a sensitive and accurate radioimmunoassay (RIA) of testosterone (T) was established for male and female saliva samples. This easily collected biological fluid, which contains nonprotein-bound T, may represent an attractive alternative or a complement to total plasma T assays. In saliva samples from 5 normal males, a clear circadian rhythm was observed, and morning concentrations (135 +/- 31 pg/ml) were significantly higher (p less than 0.02) than evening samples (85 +/- 23 pg/ml). In 11 normal females, morning saliva levels were 12.8 +/- 1.8 pg/ml. The levels of T in male saliva, in response to both exogenous T administration (100 mg i.m.) and HCG stimulation (2 X 2,000 IU i.m.), accurately reflected the changes observed in plasma T, and the magnitude of increase in T levels was clearly greater in saliva than in plasma samples during the intramuscular administration of the long-acting T preparation. In males, significant correlations were observed between salivary and plasma T concentrations in morning samples (r = 0.61, p less than 0.01), following HCG stimulation (r = 0.89, p less than 0.05) and during T administration (r = 0.87, p less than 0.05). In women, the correlation at 8 a.m. was also significant (r = 0.82, p less than 0.05).
mesh_terms: D006063:Chorionic Gonadotropin; D002940:Circadian Rhythm; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011863:Radioimmunoassay / Q000379:methods; D012463:Saliva / Q000032:analysis*; D013739:Testosterone / Q000032:analysis* / Q000097:blood
chemical_list: D006063:Chorionic Gonadotropin; D013739:Testosterone