Quan Zhang1, Zheng Chen2, Shenghuo Chen2, Tian Yu2, Juxia Wang2, Weiwen Wang3, Huihua Deng4. 1. Key Laboratory of Child Development and Learning Science (Southeast University), Ministry of Education, Institute of Child Development and Education, Southeast University, Nanjing 210096, China; School of early childhood education, Jiangsu Second Normal University, Nanjing 210012, China. 2. Key Laboratory of Child Development and Learning Science (Southeast University), Ministry of Education, Institute of Child Development and Education, Southeast University, Nanjing 210096, China. 3. Key Laboratory of Mental Health, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Science, Beijing 100101, China. 4. Key Laboratory of Child Development and Learning Science (Southeast University), Ministry of Education, Institute of Child Development and Education, Southeast University, Nanjing 210096, China; Key Laboratory of Mental Health, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Science, Beijing 100101, China. Electronic address: dengrcls@seu.edu.cn.
Abstract
AIMS: Contrary findings exist on the consistency between hair cortisol and salivary cortisol in assessing the basal activity of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis. The mismatches in temporal characteristic and the indices of hair and salivary cortisol might be potential reasons for the inconsistency. The aim of this study was to investigate the consistency between hair and salivary levels in cortisol and cortisone by directly examining the correlation between hair level and salivary level with different temporal characteristics (acute, short-term and long-term levels) and reflecting different HPA functions (basal level and reactivity level) in the well-matched time span. MAIN METHODS: A longitudinal design within a five-week period was conducted in a sample of 44 healthy female college students (mean age: 18.8yrs.; age range: 18-22yrs) of Han nationality with the exclusion criteria, such as use of oral contraceptives or glucocorticoids and bleached hairs, etc. Four saliva samples (awakening, awakening+30min, awakening+4h and awakening+9h) were collected from an identical participant on three separate days with an interval of one week and 1-cm hair segment nearest to the scalp was collected two weeks later after completing saliva collection. Cortisol and cortisone in saliva and hair were simultaneously measured with high performance liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry. KEY FINDINGS: There were significantly moderate correlations in cortisol and cortisone between hair level and three-day average of single-day salivary level, but low to moderate correlations between hair level and single-point and single-day salivary level. Hair cortisol and cortisone were unrelated to single-day level and three-day average of diurnal slope and cortisol awakening response of salivary cortisol and cortisone, respectively. SIGNIFICANCE: The considerable consistency between hair level and long-term salivary level in cortisol and cortisone implies that cortisol and cortisone in hair are valid biomarkers of cumulative exposure of cortisol and cortisone to retrospectively reflect long-term basal activity of the HPA system.
AIMS: Contrary findings exist on the consistency between hair cortisol and salivary cortisol in assessing the basal activity of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis. The mismatches in temporal characteristic and the indices of hair and salivary cortisol might be potential reasons for the inconsistency. The aim of this study was to investigate the consistency between hair and salivary levels in cortisol and cortisone by directly examining the correlation between hair level and salivary level with different temporal characteristics (acute, short-term and long-term levels) and reflecting different HPA functions (basal level and reactivity level) in the well-matched time span. MAIN METHODS: A longitudinal design within a five-week period was conducted in a sample of 44 healthy female college students (mean age: 18.8yrs.; age range: 18-22yrs) of Han nationality with the exclusion criteria, such as use of oral contraceptives or glucocorticoids and bleached hairs, etc. Four saliva samples (awakening, awakening+30min, awakening+4h and awakening+9h) were collected from an identical participant on three separate days with an interval of one week and 1-cm hair segment nearest to the scalp was collected two weeks later after completing saliva collection. Cortisol and cortisone in saliva and hair were simultaneously measured with high performance liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry. KEY FINDINGS: There were significantly moderate correlations in cortisol and cortisone between hair level and three-day average of single-day salivary level, but low to moderate correlations between hair level and single-point and single-day salivary level. Hair cortisol and cortisone were unrelated to single-day level and three-day average of diurnal slope and cortisol awakening response of salivary cortisol and cortisone, respectively. SIGNIFICANCE: The considerable consistency between hair level and long-term salivary level in cortisol and cortisone implies that cortisol and cortisone in hair are valid biomarkers of cumulative exposure of cortisol and cortisone to retrospectively reflect long-term basal activity of the HPA system.
Authors: Jan Willem Gorter; Darcy Fehlings; Mark A Ferro; Andrea Gonzalez; Amanda D Green; Sarah N Hopmans; Dayle McCauley; Robert J Palisano; Peter Rosenbaum; Brittany Speller Journal: J Clin Med Date: 2022-05-29 Impact factor: 4.964
Authors: Katharina Pittner; Renate S M Buisman; Lisa J M van den Berg; Laura H C G Compier-de Block; Marieke S Tollenaar; Marian J Bakermans-Kranenburg; Marinus H van IJzendoorn; Bernet M Elzinga; Lenneke R A Alink Journal: Front Psychiatry Date: 2020-05-08 Impact factor: 4.157