Fabian B Fahlbusch1, Kirsten Heussner2, Matthias Schmid3, Ralf Schild4, Matthias Ruebner5, Hanna Huebner5, Wolfgang Rascher2, Helmuth-Guenther Doerr2, Manfred Rauh2. 1. Department of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, University of Erlangen-Nürnberg, Erlangen, Germany. Electronic address: fabian.fahlbusch@uk-erlangen.de. 2. Department of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, University of Erlangen-Nürnberg, Erlangen, Germany. 3. Institute of Medical Biometry, Informatics and Epidemiology (IMBIE), Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-University, Bonn, Germany. 4. Department of Obstetrics and Perinatal Medicine, Diakoniekrankenhaus Friederikenstift, Hannover, Germany. 5. Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, University of Erlangen-Nürnberg, Erlangen, Germany.
Abstract
INTRODUCTION: Analysis of steroids by mass spectrometry (MS) has evolved into a reliable tool for the simultaneous detection of multiple steroids. As amniotic fluid (AF) and fetal serum composition of early pregnancy are closely related, the analysis of AF can yield information on the physiological status of the developing fetus. We evaluated the use of liquid-chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) for AF steroid analysis, including the analysis of its sensitivity and accuracy for gender verification in healthy subjects. MATERIALS AND METHODS: AF of 78 male and 94 female healthy newborns was analyzed by LC-MS/MS at 16 weeks of gestation. The levels of androstenedione, corticosterone, cortisol, cortisone, deoxycorticosterone, 11-deoxycortisol, dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA), dehydroepiandrosterone-sulfate (DHEA-S), 17-hydroxyprogesterone, progesterone (17-OHP) and testosterone were measured. Steroid levels were compared to RIA and GC-MS levels of midgestation from the literature. Cross-validated logistic regression was used to obtain statistical predictions of gender at birth from testosterone and the above steroids. RESULTS: LC-MS/MS analysis of AF steroids yielded comparable results with published GC-MS data. Gender specific differences were found for androstenedione and testosterone concentrations with higher levels in the male fetus. In contrast to published RIA data no gender specific differences were observed for 17-hydroxyprogesterone and dehydroepiandrosterone AF concentrations. Testosterone concentrations yielded highly accurate predictions for male gender at birth. Additional analysis of further steroids did neither increase the accuracy, sensitivity nor specificity of this prediction. The estimated optimal cut-off value for amniotic testosterone level was 0.074 μg/L for healthy male newborns. CONCLUSIONS: LC-MS/MS is a reliable method for the determination of steroids in amniotic fluid. The determination of testosterone in amniotic fluid by LC-MS/MS in early pregnancy of healthy subjects can be used to offer a reliable prediction of fetal gender at birth.
INTRODUCTION: Analysis of steroids by mass spectrometry (MS) has evolved into a reliable tool for the simultaneous detection of multiple steroids. As amniotic fluid (AF) and fetal serum composition of early pregnancy are closely related, the analysis of AF can yield information on the physiological status of the developing fetus. We evaluated the use of liquid-chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) for AFsteroid analysis, including the analysis of its sensitivity and accuracy for gender verification in healthy subjects. MATERIALS AND METHODS:AF of 78 male and 94 female healthy newborns was analyzed by LC-MS/MS at 16 weeks of gestation. The levels of androstenedione, corticosterone, cortisol, cortisone, deoxycorticosterone, 11-deoxycortisol, dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA), dehydroepiandrosterone-sulfate (DHEA-S), 17-hydroxyprogesterone, progesterone (17-OHP) and testosterone were measured. Steroid levels were compared to RIA and GC-MS levels of midgestation from the literature. Cross-validated logistic regression was used to obtain statistical predictions of gender at birth from testosterone and the above steroids. RESULTS: LC-MS/MS analysis of AFsteroids yielded comparable results with published GC-MS data. Gender specific differences were found for androstenedione and testosterone concentrations with higher levels in the male fetus. In contrast to published RIA data no gender specific differences were observed for 17-hydroxyprogesterone and dehydroepiandrosterone AF concentrations. Testosterone concentrations yielded highly accurate predictions for male gender at birth. Additional analysis of further steroids did neither increase the accuracy, sensitivity nor specificity of this prediction. The estimated optimal cut-off value for amniotic testosterone level was 0.074 μg/L for healthy male newborns. CONCLUSIONS: LC-MS/MS is a reliable method for the determination of steroids in amniotic fluid. The determination of testosterone in amniotic fluid by LC-MS/MS in early pregnancy of healthy subjects can be used to offer a reliable prediction of fetal gender at birth.
Authors: Silvia Alonso; Sara Caceres; Daniel Vélez; Luis Sanz; Gema Silvan; Maria Jose Illera; Juan Carlos Illera Journal: BMC Pregnancy Childbirth Date: 2021-02-09 Impact factor: 3.007
Authors: Peter J O'Shaughnessy; Jean Philippe Antignac; Bruno Le Bizec; Marie-Line Morvan; Konstantin Svechnikov; Olle Söder; Iuliia Savchuk; Ana Monteiro; Ugo Soffientini; Zoe C Johnston; Michelle Bellingham; Denise Hough; Natasha Walker; Panagiotis Filis; Paul A Fowler Journal: PLoS Biol Date: 2019-02-14 Impact factor: 8.029
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