Assessing dehydroepiandrosterone in saliva: A simple radioimmunoassay for use in studies of children, adolescents and adults

Douglas A. Granger, Eve B. Schwartz, Alan Booth, Mary Curran, Dena Zakaria

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

133 Scopus citations

Abstract

While salivary assays for some hormones are widely used, the availability of assays for salivary DHEA is limited. By adapting a commercially available radioimmunoassay serum kit, we developed a reliable, efficient and sensitive measure of DHEA in saliva that does not require separation or extraction. The minimum detection limit was 4.0 pg/ml. Intra- assay coefficients of variation (CV%) were on average 4.05, and inter-assay CVs averaged 9.70. Method accuracy, determined by spike recovery, and linearity, determined by serial dilution, averaged 99.55 and 92.03%. Levels in matched serum and saliva samples showed strong linear relationships for adult males and females. Specific guidelines are developed for sample collection, storage, and preparation procedures. Reference ranges for salivary DHEA levels are provided for 64 children ages 8-11, 96 adolescents ages 12-17 and 48 adults ages 30-45. Salivary DHEA levels are shown to reflect developmental, gender and diurnal differences.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)567-579
Number of pages13
JournalPsychoneuroendocrinology
Volume24
Issue number5
DOIs
StatePublished - Jul 1999
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • DHEA
  • Gender and developmental differences
  • Radioimmunoassay
  • Saliva

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism
  • Endocrinology
  • Endocrine and Autonomic Systems
  • Psychiatry and Mental health
  • Biological Psychiatry

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