Clinical Chemistry
HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS
QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced]


     

Clinical Chemistry 36: 70-75, 1990;
This Article
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrow reprints & permissions
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via HighWire
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Meulenberg, P. M.
Right arrow Articles by Hofman, J. A.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Meulenberg, P. M.
Right arrow Articles by Hofman, J. A.

Clinical Chemistry, Vol 36, 70-75, Copyright © 1990 by American Association for Clinical Chemistry

Differences between concentrations of salivary cortisol and cortisone and of free cortisol and cortisone in plasma during pregnancy and postpartum

PM Meulenberg and JA Hofman
Department of Experimental and Chemical Endocrinology, St. Radboud University Hospital, Nijmegen, The Netherlands.

We measured cortisol and cortisone in plasma--both total and free--and in saliva during the course of pregnancy and postpartum. Antepartum and postpartum concentrations and morning and afternoon concentrations of both steroids were compared. The mean concentrations of cortisol and cortisone increased towards term and were significantly greater at the end of pregnancy than postpartum, except for free cortisol in plasma in the afternoon. The daily rhythm of both steroids was maintained throughout pregnancy and postpartum. The correlations between salivary and plasma free concentrations of cortisol and cortisone as well as of the sum of cortisol + cortisone were highly significant. The mean concentrations of cortisone in saliva accurately reflected both total and free concentrations in plasma. For cortisol, however, the change of the concentrations in saliva, was somewhat different from that in plasma. Moreover, the mass ratio of plasma free cortisol to salivary cortisol was about 2, whereas for cortisone the ratio was only about 0.5, probably owing to the conversion of cortisol to cortisone by 11 beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase in the salivary gland. Furthermore, the passage of cortisol and cortisone from plasma to saliva should not be regarded as simple diffusion, because in the first half of pregnancy the sum of the concentrations of cortisol + cortisone in saliva significantly exceeded the sum of their free concentrations in plasma.


The following articles in journals at HighWire Press have cited this article:


Home page
 Ann Clin BiochemHome page
P. Wood
Salivary steroid assays - research or routine?
Ann Clin Biochem, May 1, 2009; 46(3): 183 - 196.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 J. Clin. Endocrinol. Metab.Home page
A. Viardot, P. Huber, J. J. Puder, H. Zulewski, U. Keller, and B. Muller
Reproducibility of Nighttime Salivary Cortisol and Its Use in the Diagnosis of Hypercortisolism Compared with Urinary Free Cortisol and Overnight Dexamethasone Suppression Test
J. Clin. Endocrinol. Metab., October 1, 2005; 90(10): 5730 - 5736.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 HypertensionHome page
B. R. Walker, P. M. Williamson, M. A. Brown, J. W. Honour, C. R. W. Edwards, and J. A. Whitworth
11ß-Hydroxysteroid Dehydrogenase and Its Inhibitors in Hypertensive Pregnancy
Hypertension, April 1, 1995; 25(4): 626 - 630.
[Abstract] [Full Text]


HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS
Copyright © 1990 by the American Association for Clinical Chemistry.