title: Comparison of the testosterone-to-cortisol ratio values obtained from hormonal assays in saliva and serum.
abstract: Testosterone (T) and cortisol (C) were determined in serum and saliva, sampled simultaneously, from triathletes and karate athletes, in order to determine the T:C ratios in those body fluids and the relationship between them, as well as to assess the salivary T:C ratio as a measure of the so-called anabolic-catabolic index. Mean salivary T:C (value (1.67 +/- 0.85) was nearly 3-fold lower than that obtained for serum (4.87 +/- 1.86). Salivary and serum values were strongly correlated with one another (r = 0.874, p < 0.001) but the relationship depended on the range of cortisol concentrations in serum, the slope of the salive-serum regression line being significantly lower for serum cortisol concentrations over 600 nmol.l-1 than for concentrations below that value (0.305 and 0.380, p < 0.05, respectively). It has been concluded that the salivary T:C ratio, based on values reflecting the levels of biologically active fractions of T and C in circulation, is a better measure of metabolic equilibrium conditioned by those hormones than the corresponding ratio obtained from total concentrations in serum.
authors.affiliation: Department of Endocrinology, Institute of Sport, Warsaw, Poland.
authors.forename: Z
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Obmiński
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Stupnicki
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001642:Bicycling / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D006854:Hydrocortisone / Q000032:analysis* / Q000097:blood / Q000378:metabolism; D016139:Martial Arts / Q000502:physiology; D012044:Regression Analysis; D012420:Running / Q000502:physiology; D012463:Saliva / Q000737:chemistry*; D013550:Swimming / Q000502:physiology; D013739:Testosterone / Q000032:analysis* / Q000097:blood / Q000378:metabolism; D014156:Transcortin / Q000032:analysis / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D013739:Testosterone; D014156:Transcortin; D006854:Hydrocortisone