Serum levels of dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate as determined by commercial kits and reagents

C19‐5‐ene Steroids in Nature

Dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA), produced from cholesterol in the adrenals, is the most abundant steroid in our circulation. It is present almost entirely as the sulfate ester, but the free steroid is the form that serves as a precursor of estrogens and androgens, as well as 7- and 16-oxygenated derivatives. Mammalian tissues reduce the 17-keto Group of DHEA to produce androstenediol-a weak estrogen and full-fledged androgen. Its androgen activity is not inhibited by the anti-androgens commonly used to treat prostate cancer. It is probably responsible for the growth of therapy-resistant prostate cancer. DHEA is hydroxylated at the 7 alpha position, and this derivative is oxidized by 11 beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase to form 7-keto DHEA. The latter is reduced by the same dehydrogenase to form 7 beta-hydroxy DHEA. When fed to rats, each of the latter three steroids induce the formation of two thermogenic enzymes in the liver. The late-term human fetus produces relatively large amounts of 16 alphahydroxy DHEA, which serves the mother as a precursor of estriol.

High-performance liquid chromatographic analysis of dehydroepiandrosterone

Qualitative and quantitative analysis of dehydroepiandrosterone and its conjugates in biological matrices and establishment of their relationships with physiological functions is a very active field. This review article discusses methods of separation and quantification of dehydroepiandrosterone and its conjugates using high-performance liquid chromatographic techniques.

Simplified procedure for measurement of serum dehydroepiandrosterone and its sulfate with gas chromatography-ion trap mass spectrometry and selected reaction monitoring

Dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) and dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEAS) are endogenous steroids that have recently been widely publicized as potential treatments for many disorders. This paper describes a gas chromatographic-ion trap mass spectrophotometric assay with selected reaction monitoring for measurement of DHEA and DHEAS levels. The hormones and internal standard (5-androsten-3beta-ol-16-one methyl ester) are extracted from serum with Oasis solid-phase extraction tubes. The extracted steroids are dissolved in methanol and injected into a Finnigan GCQ ion trap mass spectrometer. In the selected reaction mode, both DHEA and DHEAS can be identified and quantified in a single injection. No derivatization or expensive deuterated internal standards are required.

Production and characterization of monoclonal antibodies to dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate: application to direct enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays of dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate and androsterone/epiandrosterone sulfates in plasma

Mice were immunized with 5-androstene-3 beta-ol-7,17-dione-7-CMO:bovine serum albumin (DHEA-7-O-CMO-BSA) or 5-androstene-3 beta-ol-17-one hemisuccinate-bovine serum albumin (DHEA-3HS-BSA) conjugates and monoclonal antibodies were produced, characterized, and selected for maximum DHEAS binding. Of these hybridomas, four clones from DHEA-3HS-BSA-immunized mice had acceptable criteria for the development of a competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for DHEAS in plasma. One hybridoma supernatant from DHEA-7-O-CMO-BSA-immunized mice showed 360% cross-reactivity to both androsterone sulfate and epiandrosterone sulfate. This allows the possibility of the direct determination of androsterone sulfate and epiandrosterone sulfate in plasma after correction for the DHEAS contribution. Both ELISAs employ a DHEA-3HS-thyroglobulin conjugate adsorbed to the wells of a standard 96-well microtiter plate. DHEAS in the standards or diluted plasma sample competes with immobilized DHEA-3HS-thyroglobulin for antibody-binding sites. Antibody is detected with anti-mouse-lg peroxidase by further washing, adding o-phenylenediamine substrate, and reading the absorbance at 492 nm. The ELISAs are simple, reproducible, and reliable and, to our knowledge, they are the first tests employing monoclonal antibodies to DHEAS.

Dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate quantification in serum using high-performance liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry and a deuterated internal standard: a technique suitable for routine use or as a reference method

A thermospray high-performance liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry method for determination of serum dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate is described. The steroid was measured intact using [7,7-2H2]dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate as internal standard. The analysis was carried out in the negative ion mode by determining the peak height ratio of the molecular anions of the analyte and internal standard. The method was used to determine the steroid in serum from 15 male and female normal adults and the following values were obtained: males, 272 +/- 45 micrograms/dl (range, 197 to 331 micrograms/dl) and females, 215 +/- 67 micrograms/dl (range, 107 to 347 micrograms/dl). In addition, dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate was measured by high-performance liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry and radioimmunoassay (a commercial kit) on 25 individuals of all age groups. There was strong correlation between the values obtained, but the radioimmunoassay values were generally double those obtained by high-performance liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry. Three other steroid sulfates, androsterone sulfate, epiandrosterone sulfate, and androst-5-ene-3 beta, 17 beta-diol sulfate, were also assayed. In males, these had mean values of 112, 44, and 13 micrograms/dl and, in females, they had mean values of 84, 25, and 6 micrograms/dl, respectively. Radioimmunoassay cross-reactivity measurement for these steroids (as reference compounds) showed that they were unlikely to contribute greatly to the discrepancy between radioimmunoassay and high-performance liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry values.