7-Hydroxydehydroepiandrosterone epimers in human serum and saliva. Comparison of gas chromatography-mass spectrometry and radioimmunoassay.

Recent reports demonstrated that 7-hydroxylated metabolites of dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) possess immunomodulatory and antiglucocorticoid properties. Increased 7alpha-OH-DHEA levels were found in patients with Alzheimer's disease. Hence, measurement of steroids in patients with autoimmune diseases or disturbances in the central nervous system could be of interest. A new sensitive GC-MS method for the determination of 7-hydroxydehydroepiandrosterone epimers was developed and compared with previously developed radioimmunoassays. Besides serum, these steroids were, for the first time, measured in saliva where their concentrations were about five times lower. 7alpha- and 7beta-epimer levels correlated well in both body fluids and they were larger in male.