title: Umbilical cord blood androgen levels in girls and boys assessed by gas chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry.
abstract: Androgen exposure of the fetus during gestation plays an important role in human physiology and pathophysiology, but assessment of androgens, in particular dihydrotestosterone (DHT), in human umbilical cord blood is technically challenging. The aim of this study was to assess umbilical cord androgen levels, including DHT, at birth by a highly sensitive assay, and study their association with sex of the infant, sex-hormone-binding globulin (SHBG) levels, and gestational age at delivery. Swedish infants (27 girls, 26 boys) were recruited at maternity care clinics in Southern Sweden. Umbilical cord blood levels of dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA), androstenedione, testosterone and DHT at delivery were assessed by a gas chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry assay. Cord blood levels of DHT were 2.4-fold higher in boys (median 27.8pg/mL) than in girls (11.5pg/mL), while the sex difference was less pronounced for testosterone (1.3-fold higher in boys) and non-significant for DHEA and androstenedione. Gestational age at delivery associated inversely with DHT levels in boys and with DHEA levels in girls. There was a strong inverse correlation between SHBG and DHEA in both sexes, while there were no associations between SHBG and testosterone or DHT levels. In conclusion, using state of the art technology, we report that there is a pronounced sexual dimorphism in human umbilical cord blood DHT levels. The possibility to assess a complete androgen profile in human cord blood opens up for future increased understanding of the biological impact of the fetal androgen milieu.
authors.affiliation: Department of Rheumatology and Inflammation Research, Institute of Medicine, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden.
authors.forename: Anna-Carin
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Lundell
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Chemistry, Sahlgrenska University Hospital, Gothenburg, Sweden.
authors.forename: Henrik
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Ryberg
authors.affiliation: Center for Bone and Arthritis Research (CBAR), Department of Internal Medicine and Clinical Nutrition, Institute of Medicine, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden.
authors.forename: Liesbeth
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Vandenput
authors.affiliation: Department of Rheumatology and Inflammation Research, Institute of Medicine, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden.
authors.forename: Anna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Rudin
authors.affiliation: Center for Bone and Arthritis Research (CBAR), Department of Internal Medicine and Clinical Nutrition, Institute of Medicine, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden.
authors.forename: Claes
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Ohlsson
authors.affiliation: Wallenberg Laboratory for Cardiovascular and Metabolic Research, Sahlgrenska University Hospital, Department of Internal Medicine and Clinical Nutrition, Institute of Medicine, University of Gothenburg, Bruna Stråket 16, SE-413 45 Gothenburg, Sweden. Electronic address: asa.tivesten@medic.gu.se.
authors.forename: Åsa
authors.initials: Å
authors.lastname: Tivesten
mesh_terms: D000728:Androgens / Q000097:blood*; D000735:Androstenedione / Q000097:blood*; D003687:Dehydroepiandrosterone / Q000097:blood*; D013196:Dihydrotestosterone / Q000097:blood*; D005260:Female; D005312:Fetal Blood / Q000737:chemistry*; D008401:Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry; D005865:Gestational Age; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D057230:Limit of Detection; D008297:Male; D011247:Pregnancy; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012727:Sex Characteristics; D012738:Sex Hormone-Binding Globulin / Q000032:analysis*; D013548:Sweden; D053719:Tandem Mass Spectrometry; D013739:Testosterone / Q000097:blood*
chemical_list: D000728:Androgens; D012738:Sex Hormone-Binding Globulin; D013196:Dihydrotestosterone; D013739:Testosterone; D000735:Androstenedione; D003687:Dehydroepiandrosterone
keywords: Androgens; GC–MS/MS; Sex; Umbilical cord blood