title: Salivary steroid assays for assessing variation in endocrine activity.
abstract: Salivary sampling regimens are non-invasive, and therefore facilitate dynamic tests of hormone function and assessment of biological rhythms. Concentrations of neutral steroids in saliva are independent of flow rate and appear to reflect the non-protein-bound, 'free' fraction. Comparison of replicate determinations of quality control pools with determinations of samples collected at 2 min intervals allows the significance of short-term fluctuations in cortisol and testosterone secretory activity to be estimated. Samples collected at 15 min intervals provide a convenient way to estimate circadian rhythms, particularly in young children. Determination of salivary progesterone concentrations in samples collected by women daily, over extended periods of time, provides a valuable means of assessing ovarian function. Such assays may be used to monitor ovulation-induction therapy.
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D002940:Circadian Rhythm; D003366:Cosyntropin; D006801:Humans; D006854:Hydrocortisone / Q000097:blood / Q000378:metabolism*; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007248:Infertility, Male / Q000503:physiopathology; D007700:Kinetics; D008297:Male; D011374:Progesterone / Q000378:metabolism*; D012463:Saliva / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism*; D013737:Testis / Q000378:metabolism; D013739:Testosterone / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D003366:Cosyntropin; D013739:Testosterone; D011374:Progesterone; C006418:adrenocorticotropin zinc; D006854:Hydrocortisone