title: Intraindividual stability of cortisol and cortisone and the ratio of cortisol to cortisone in saliva, urine and hair.
abstract: Cortisol, cortisone and the ratio of cortisol to cortisone in saliva, urine and hair are acute, short-term and long-term biomarkers to reliably assess the activity of hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis and 11β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase (11β-HSD). One key issue is whether these biomarkers have intraindividual relative stability. Salivary, urinary and hair cortisol was proven to show considerable long-term intraindividual relative stability. However, currently unknown is whether cortisone and the ratio in saliva, urine and hair show intraindividual relative stability.
  
  
  
  The present study utilized a longitudinal design to validate long-term stability within two weeks of three biomarkers in saliva and urine, and long-term stability within twelve months of three hair biomarkers. Salivary, urinary and hair steroids were measured with high performance liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry.
  
  
  
  Three biomarkers in urine and hair showed moderate test-retest correlations with coefficient (r) ranging between 0.22 and 0.56 and good multiple-test consistencies with coefficient of intraclass correlation (ICC) ranging between 0.42 and 0.67. Three single-point salivary biomarkers showed weak to moderate test-retest correlations (r's between 0.01 and 0.38) and poor to fair multiple-test consistencies (ICC's between 0.29 and 0.53) within two weeks. Three single-day salivary biomarkers showed moderate test-retest correlations (r's between 0.23 and 0.53) and good multiple-test consistencies (ICC's between 0.56 and 0.66) within two weeks.
  
  
  
  Three biomarkers in urine and hair showed moderate long-term intraindividual relative stability. Three single-point salivary biomarkers showed weak to moderate short-term and long-term intraindividual relative stability, but three single-day salivary biomarkers showed moderate short-term and long-term intraindividual relative stability.
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Child Development and Learning Science (Southeast University), Ministry of Education, and Institute of Child Development and Education, Research Center for Learning Science, Southeast University, Nanjing 210096, China.
authors.forename: Quan
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Child Development and Learning Science (Southeast University), Ministry of Education, and Institute of Child Development and Education, Research Center for Learning Science, Southeast University, Nanjing 210096, China.
authors.forename: Zheng
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Child Development and Learning Science (Southeast University), Ministry of Education, and Institute of Child Development and Education, Research Center for Learning Science, Southeast University, Nanjing 210096, China.
authors.forename: Shenghuo
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Child Development and Learning Science (Southeast University), Ministry of Education, and Institute of Child Development and Education, Research Center for Learning Science, Southeast University, Nanjing 210096, China.
authors.forename: Youyun
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Child Development and Learning Science (Southeast University), Ministry of Education, and Institute of Child Development and Education, Research Center for Learning Science, Southeast University, Nanjing 210096, China; Key Laboratory of Mental Health, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China. Electronic address: dengrcls@seu.edu.cn.
authors.forename: Huihua
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Deng
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000032:analysis* / Q000652:urine*; D002851:Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid; D003348:Cortisone / Q000032:analysis* / Q000652:urine*; D005260:Female; D006197:Hair / Q000737:chemistry*; D006801:Humans; D006854:Hydrocortisone / Q000032:analysis* / Q000652:urine*; D008297:Male; D012463:Saliva / Q000737:chemistry*; D053719:Tandem Mass Spectrometry; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D003348:Cortisone; D006854:Hydrocortisone
keywords: 11β-Hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase; Cortisol; Cortisone; Intraindividual stability; Tandem mass spectrometry; The ratio of cortisol to cortisone