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Endocrinology and Metabolism |
a Address correspondence to this author at: Department of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Montefiore-N919, 200 Lothrop Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15213. Fax 412-692-4019; e-mail Winters{at}med1.dept-med.pitt.edu.
| Abstract |
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| Introduction |
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The Coat-A-Count free testosterone assay (Diagnostics Products Corp.) is a popular single-step non-extraction method in which an I-labeled testosterone analog competes with free testosterone in plasma for binding to a testosterone-specific antiserum immobilized to a polypropylene tube. Neither SHBG nor albumin are thought to influence the free testosterone concentration measured by analog assay. However, for eugonadal men the free testosterone values obtained with this method as a percentage of the total testosterone (0.20.64%) are much lower than the 1.54.0% determined by calculation (3), equilibrium dialysis (4), or ultrafiltration (5)(6). To explore this difference and the discrepancies between the Diagnostics Products kit result and other methods that have been noted by other investigators (7)(8), we examined the relationship of SHBG to the free and non-SHBG-T concentrations in thin and obese men and women who participated in a study of the metabolic determinants of body composition.
| Materials and Methods |
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analytical methods
Total testosterone was measured with the Coat-A-Count total
testosterone solid phase RIA kit (Diagnostic Products). The
within-assay CV (n = 4 replicates) was 4.6% at 13.1 nmol/L and
8.5% at 2.4 nmol/L.
Free testosterone was measured with the Coat-A-Count free testosterone solid phase RIA kit (Diagnostic Products). The within-assay CV (n = 4 replicates) was 1.1% at 0.56 pmol/L and 6.0% at 0.84 pmol/L.
SHBG was measured using the Active SHBG two-site immunoradiometric assay (Diagnostic System Laboratories). The within-assay CV (n = 4 replicates) was 13.5% at 29 nmol/L and 9.7% at 107 nmol/L.
The determination of non-SHBG-T was based on the separation, by 500 g/L ammonium sulfate precipitation, of serum SHBG-bound testosterone after incubation with H-testosterone at 23 C (9). The non-SHBG-T concentration was calculated by multiplying the percentage of tracer in the supernatant (not bound to SHBG) by the total testosterone concentration. The between-assay CV from a pool of serum from healthy women was 4.9%.
Samples were analyzed in one immunoassay kit to eliminate any effect caused by between-assay variation. The percentage of bioavailable testosterone was determined in two separate assays
statistical analysis
Data are presented as the mean ± SE. Linear regression was
performed using Systat for Windows, Ver. 5 (Systat).
| Results |
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Fig. 1
shows the relation between SHBG and total, free, and
bioavailable testosterone in men. As expected because it is a high
affinity testosterone-binding protein, SHBG was an important predictor
of the plasma total testosterone concentration (r =
0.68; P <0.01). By contrast, the non-SHBG-T was independent
of plasma SHBG (r = 0.02). Unexpectedly, SHBG and free
testosterone were highly positively correlated (r =
0.62; P <0.01) among men. Among women on the other hand,
total (r = -0.26; P = 0.17),
bioavailable (r = -0.46; P = 0.013),
and free testosterone (r = -0.30; P =
0.17) were each inversely correlated with SHBG (data not shown).
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Among the explanations for the unexpected positive correlation between
SHBG and free testosterone only in men is that SHBG binds the125I-labeled testosterone analog, creating a reservoir with less
tracer available to compete with unlabeled testosterone for binding to
the solid phase antiserum. Because the concentration of unoccupied SHBG
steroid binding sites is quite variable among men, the measured free
testosterone concentration increases as the concentration of SHBG in
the sample increases. This effect would not be expected in plasma
samples from women, among whom the molar concentration of SHBG far
exceeds that of total testosterone, creating a surplus of unoccupied
SHBG sites in all samples (3). If this hypothesis is
correct, adding SHBG to male plasma would increase the measured free
testosterone concentration. To test this notion, plasma from one man
was supplemented with SHBG in pregnancy plasma as shown in Table 2
. Contrary to our hypothesis, however, the measured free
testosterone was lower than the expected value as SHBG was increased in
the sample, with a recovery of 68% at a dilution of 3:1 (male
plasma:pregnancy plasma).
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We also tested whether the I-testosterone analog
binds to SHBG by selective adsorption with Concanavalin A-Sepharose,
which is known to bind SHBG (10). Table 3
reveals that minimal quantities of the tracer were selectively
adsorbed by Concanavalin A and that adsorption was unrelated to the
concentration of SHBG in the plasma sample.
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We next calculated the percentage of free/total and bioavailable/total
testosterone in the adult male plasma samples and related the result to
the plasma concentration of SHBG (Fig. 2
). We found that the percentage of free testosterone was quite
constant (0.50.65%) in adult male plasma and was unrelated to the
concentration of SHBG. By contrast, the percentage of non-SHBG-T was
much more variable among men, ranging from 30% to 80%, and the
non-SHBG-T was strongly inversely correlated with SHBG
(r = -0.66; P <0.01). Furthermore, as
shown in Fig. 3
, the concentrations of total and free testosterone were almost
perfectly positively correlated (r = 0.97), whereas the
concentration of non-SHBG-T was less strongly predicted by the total
testosterone concentration (r = 0.79). Similar
relationships were found among androgen concentrations in women, among
whom the correlations of total with free and bioavailable testosterone
concentrations were 0.94 and 0.80, respectively.
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| Discussion |
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The purpose of the free or bioavailable testosterone determination is to correct the total testosterone concentration for the effect of variable binding by SHBG; thus, when testosterone production is within the reference range for eugonadal men but SHBG is low, the percentage of free testosterone in the sample should be increased. When SHBG is increased on the other hand, the percentage of free testosterone in the sample should be reduced. An inverse relationship between SHBG concentration and the percentage of free testosterone has been shown by computer modeling by Dunn et al. (3). In addition, the percentage of unbound testosterone in vitro is inversely related to the concentration of SHBG in the sample (12). Moreover, the percentage of free testosterone in plasma is inversely correlated with SHBG as men age (11)(13). In the present study, the percentage of non-SHBG-T was inversely related to SHBG, but the percentage of free testosterone was not.
Others (14)(15) have noted that free testosterone measured by the Coat-A-Count assay is influenced by the concentration of SHBG; however, the potential importance of this relationship was not emphasized. An SHBG effect on the Coat-A-Count testosterone assay result was previously reported by Slaats et al. (16). In that study the recovery of testosterone added in increasing amounts to pregnancy plasma (containing a high concentration of SHBG, although the concentration was not specified) was only 37%, indicating that a "too low value" is obtained at high SHBG concentrations. Our results using adult male plasma mixed with pregnancy plasma produced a similar result. In addition, there was no apparent binding of the I-testosterone analog to SHBG, based on binding to Concanavalin A. Moreover, the lack of positive correlation between SHBG and free testosterone in women in our study confirms a previous study (17). Jowett et al. (7) have noted that analog tracers used in assays for the measurement for free thyroid as well as free steroid hormones do, in fact, bind to serum proteins, leading to diagnostic unreliability.
A nearly perfect correlation was found between the total and free testosterone assay values in adult male plasma, apparently with free testosterone being 0.50.65% of the total testosterone. By contrast, the percentage of free testosterone among men determined by calculation (3), equilibrium dialysis (4)(18), or ultrafiltration (6) has a much broader range of ~1.54%. Similarly, the percentage of non-SHBG-T we observed among healthy thin and obese men ranged from 30% to 80% of the total testosterone concentration.
Epidemiological studies have concluded that total testosterone concentrations as well as free testosterone concentrations measured with the Coat-A-Count assay kit are low in men with hypertension (15), and that men with low total or free testosterone are at increased risk for developing diabetes (14)(19). The latter studies have tried to link testosterone production to central adiposity, insulin resistance, and hyperinsulinemia, each of which is associated with reduced SHBG. In light of the present results, other methods for free testosterone should be used to confirm those findings. When plasma samples contain substances that interact with SHBG and alter the distribution of testosterone, erroneous results may also occur.
One important clinical consequence of our findings relates to the evaluation of men for suspected hypogonadism who have low plasma SHBG, for example, in obesity, type 2 diabetes, or hypothyroidism (1). In clinical practice these men often present with sexual dysfunction and may have a low free testosterone value when tested with the analog method. Because testosterone production is presumed to be impaired, extensive and expensive diagnostic testing for hypothalamic-pituitary dysfunction is performed, usually with no abnormalities found (20). In addition, men with hypogonadism and increased SHBG concentrations whose total testosterone is consequently within the reference interval (21) may also be misclassified by the Coat-A-Count free testosterone assay.
Although the present findings imply that the Coat-A-Count free testosterone concentration provides essentially the same information as the total testosterone in men and fails to correct for differences in the plasma SHBG concentration, the subjects in this study were healthy men with testosterone values within the reference interval, so that confirmation of this notion will require additional data in hypogonadal men to include measurement of the testosterone production rate. Moreover, further studies are needed to thoroughly understand the differing relationship between SHBG and the distribution of plasma androgens in women and men.
| Acknowledgments |
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| Footnotes |
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These results were presented in part at the 80th annual meeting of the Endocrine Society, New Orleans, 1998, and published in abstract form (Abstract P2-646).
| References |
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The following articles in journals at HighWire Press have cited this article:
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R. S. Swerdloff and C. Wang Free Testosterone Measurement by the Analog Displacement Direct Assay: Old Concerns and New Evidence Clin. Chem., March 1, 2008; 54(3): 458 - 460. [Full Text] [PDF] |
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K. S. Fritz, A. J.S. McKean, J. C. Nelson, and R. B. Wilcox Analog-Based Free Testosterone Test Results Linked to Total Testosterone Concentrations, Not Free Testosterone Concentrations Clin. Chem., March 1, 2008; 54(3): 512 - 516. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
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L. Katznelson, M. W Robinson, C. L Coyle, H. Lee, and C. E Farrell Effects of modest testosterone supplementation and exercise for 12 weeks on body composition and quality of life in elderly men Eur. J. Endocrinol., December 1, 2006; 155(6): 867 - 875. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
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S. Basaria and A. S. Dobs Controversies Regarding Transdermal Androgen Therapy in Postmenopausal Women J. Clin. Endocrinol. Metab., December 1, 2006; 91(12): 4743 - 4752. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
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F. Giton, J. Fiet, J. Guechot, F. Ibrahim, F. Bronsard, D. Chopin, and J.-P. Raynaud Serum Bioavailable Testosterone: Assayed or Calculated? Clin. Chem., March 1, 2006; 52(3): 474 - 481. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
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S. Bhasin Female Androgen Deficiency Syndrome--An Unproven Hypothesis J. Clin. Endocrinol. Metab., August 1, 2005; 90(8): 4970 - 4972. [Full Text] [PDF] |
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L. P Ly and D. J Handelsman Empirical estimation of free testosterone from testosterone and sex hormone-binding globulin immunoassays Eur. J. Endocrinol., March 1, 2005; 152(3): 471 - 478. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
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S. Dhindsa, S. Prabhakar, M. Sethi, A. Bandyopadhyay, A. Chaudhuri, and P. Dandona Frequent Occurrence of Hypogonadotropic Hypogonadism in Type 2 Diabetes J. Clin. Endocrinol. Metab., November 1, 2004; 89(11): 5462 - 5468. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
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K. Van Uytfanghe, D. Stockl, J. M. Kaufman, T. Fiers, H. A. Ross, A. P. De Leenheer, and L. M. Thienpont Evaluation of a Candidate Reference Measurement Procedure for Serum Free Testosterone Based on Ultrafiltration and Isotope Dilution-Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry Clin. Chem., November 1, 2004; 50(11): 2101 - 2110. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
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E. C. Tsai, A. M. Matsumoto, W. Y. Fujimoto, and E. J. Boyko Association of Bioavailable, Free, and Total Testosterone With Insulin Resistance: Influence of sex hormone-binding globulin and body fat Diabetes Care, April 1, 2004; 27(4): 861 - 868. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
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K. K. Miller, W. Rosner, H. Lee, J. Hier, G. Sesmilo, D. Schoenfeld, G. Neubauer, and A. Klibanski Measurement of Free Testosterone in Normal Women and Women with Androgen Deficiency: Comparison of Methods J. Clin. Endocrinol. Metab., February 1, 2004; 89(2): 525 - 533. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
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M. Muller, Y. T. van der Schouw, J. H. H. Thijssen, and D. E. Grobbee Endogenous Sex Hormones and Cardiovascular Disease in Men J. Clin. Endocrinol. Metab., November 1, 2003; 88(11): 5076 - 5086. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
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P. Y. Liu, A. K. Death, and D. J. Handelsman Androgens and Cardiovascular Disease Endocr. Rev., June 1, 2003; 24(3): 313 - 340. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
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G. A. Brown, M. D. Vukovich, E. R. Martini, M. L. Kohut, W. D. Franke, D. A. Jackson, and D. S. King Endocrine and Lipid Responses to Chronic Androstenediol-Herbal Supplementation in 30 to 58 Year Old Men J. Am. Coll. Nutr., October 1, 2002; 20(5): 520 - 528. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
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A. M. Matsumoto Andropause: Clinical Implications of the Decline in Serum Testosterone Levels With Aging in Men J. Gerontol. A Biol. Sci. Med. Sci., February 1, 2002; 57(2): M76 - 99. [Full Text] |
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R. Davies, C. Collier, M. Raymond, J. Heaton, and A. Clark Indirect Measurement of Bioavailable Testosterone with the Bayer Immuno 1 System Clin. Chem., February 1, 2002; 48(2): 388 - 390. [Full Text] [PDF] |
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G. A. Brown, E. R. Martini, B. S. Roberts, M. D. Vukovich, and D. S. King Acute hormonal response to sublingual androstenediol intake in young men J Appl Physiol, January 1, 2002; 92(1): 142 - 146. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
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S. Grinspoon, C. Corcoran, T. Stanley, A. Baaj, N. Basgoz, and A. Klibanski Effects of Hypogonadism and Testosterone Administration on Depression Indices in HIV-Infected Men J. Clin. Endocrinol. Metab., January 1, 2000; 85(1): 60 - 65. [Abstract] [Full Text] |
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A. Vermeulen, L. Verdonck, and J. M. Kaufman A Critical Evaluation of Simple Methods for the Estimation of Free Testosterone in Serum J. Clin. Endocrinol. Metab., October 1, 1999; 84(10): 3666 - 3672. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
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D. S. Ooi, J. G. Donnelly, S. J. Winters, D. E. Kelley, and B. Goodpaster More on the Analog Free-Testosterone Assay • The authors of the article cited above respond: Clin. Chem., May 1, 1999; 45(5): 714 - 716. [Full Text] [PDF] |
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