Predicting Hair Cortisol and Cortisone Concentration in Postpartum Women through Repeated Measurements of Perceived Stress.
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SUBMITTER: Lang J
PROVIDER: S-EPMC8707977 | biostudies-literature |
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature
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Project description:Hair cortisol concentration (HCC) represent a potential biomarker of chronic psychological stress. Previous studies exploring the association between perceived stress and HCC have been limited to relatively small and selected populations. We collected hair samples from 881 women from the Mexican Teachers' Cohort (MTC) and 398 women from the Icelandic SAGA pilot-cohort following identical protocols. HCC was quantified using liquid chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry. The self-reported Perceived Stress Scale (PSS, 10 and 4 item, range 0-40 and 0-16) was used to assess psychological stress. We conducted multivariable linear regression analyses to assess the association between perceived stress and log-transformed HCC in the combined sample and in each cohort separately. MTC participants had slightly higher HCC and PSS scores than SAGA participants (median HCC 6.0pg/mg vs. 4.7pg/mg and mean PSS-10 score 12.4 vs. 11.7, respectively). After adjusting for sociodemographic factors and health behaviors, we observed a 1.4% (95% CI 0.6, 2.1) increase in HCC for each unit increase in the PSS-10 score in the combined sample. Furthermore, PSS-10 quintiles were associated with a 24.3% (95% CI 8.4, 42.6, mean logHCC 1.8 vs 1.6) increase in HCC when comparing the highest to the lowest quintile, after multivariable adjustment. Similar results were obtained when we analyzed each cohort separately and when using the PSS-4. Despite relatively small absolute differences, an association between perceived stress and HCC was found in a sample of women from two diverse geographical and cultural backgrounds supporting the hypothesis that HCC is a viable biomarker in studies of chronic psychological stress.
| S-EPMC10021558 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Hair concentrations of cortisol, cortisone, and testosterone are non-invasive measures of cumulative steroid hormone levels. Use of contraceptives co-varies with levels of cortisol and cortisone in women's hair. It is unclear, however, how different contraceptive methods (i.e., that differ in their steroid hormone composition) affect corticosteroid and testosterone hair levels. The current study examines associations of contraceptives with hair steroid hormone concentrations in females from the community (N = 464, M = 20.6 years old, age range = 19-22). Self-reported contraceptives were first categorized as combined estrogen-progestin or progestin-only, and then analyzed individually in follow-up analyses. Multiple regressions adjusting for body mass index (BMI) and hair characteristics revealed that levels of hair cortisol, cortisone, and testosterone were significantly lower in women who used combined estrogen-progestin methods than in women who did not use hormonal contraception (βcortisol(log) = -0.29; βcortisone(log) = -0.28; βtestosterone(log) = -0.36), showing moderate to large effect sizes (d = 0.64, d = 0.71, and d = 0.81, respectively). Concentrations of hair cortisol were lower in women who used progestin-only contraceptives (β = -0.49) compared to no contraceptive use, with a large effect size (d = 1.67). Follow-up analyses revealed that the association of the three steroid hormones with estrogen-progestin methods was strongest for the combined oral "micro-pill." Future studies of hair steroid hormones should take into account the specific type of contraceptive used, as this may affect study results.
| S-EPMC9641175 | biostudies-literature
Project description:ContextPopulation studies frequently measure cortisol as a marker of stress, and excess cortisol is associated with increased mortality. Cortisol has a circadian rhythm, and frequent blood sampling is impractical to assess cortisol exposure. We investigated measuring salivary cortisone and examined the sampling frequency required to determine cortisol exposure.MethodsSerum and saliva with cortisol and cortisone were measured by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry in independent cohorts. The relationship between serum cortisol and salivary cortisone was analyzed in cohort 1 using a linear mixed effects model. The resulting fixed effects component was applied to cohort 2. Saliva cannot easily be collected when a patient is sleeping, so we determined the minimum sampling required to estimate cortisol exposure [estimated area under the curve (eAUC)] using 24-hour cortisol profiles (AUC24) and calculated the relative error (RE) for eAUC.ResultsMore than 90% of variability in salivary cortisone could be accounted for by change in serum cortisol. A single serum cortisol measurement was a poor estimate of AUC24, especially in the morning or last thing at night (RE >68%); however, three equally spaced samples gave a median RE of 0% (interquartile range, -15.6% to 15.1%). In patients with adrenal incidentalomas, eAUC based on three serum cortisol samples showed a difference between those with autonomous cortisol secretion and those without (P = 0.03).InterpretationAccepting that most people sleep 7 to 8 hours, ∼8-hourly salivary cortisone measurements provide a noninvasive method of estimating 24-hour cortisol exposure for population studies.
| S-EPMC6349003 | biostudies-literature
Project description:BackgroundPsychological resilience is considered to protect against detrimental effects of perceived stress on cardiovascular and metabolic health, but few studies have tested biological mechanisms underlying these relationships.PurposeThis study examined whether psychological resilience moderated the indirect association of perceived stress with Metabolic Syndrome (MetS) severity via hair cortisol concentration (HCC), a retrospective index of hypothalamic pituitary adrenal (HPA) axis activity.MethodParticipants included 228 adults (73 White, 86 Hispanic, 69 African American; mean age 45.29 years; 68% females). Participants completed questionnaires assessing perceived stress (Perceived Stress Scale) and resilience (Brief Resilience Scale). The first 3 cm of scalp-near hair were analyzed for cortisol concentration using enzyme-linked immunoassay analysis. Cardiometabolic risk factors including blood glucose, lipids, blood pressure, and waist circumference were assessed, from which a sex- and race/ethnicity-specific continuous MetS severity score was calculated. A moderated mediation model was tested using path analysis.ResultsPsychological resilience moderated the association of perceived stress with HCC (R2 change for interaction = 0.014, p = 0.043), such that the association of perceived stress and HCC decreased as resilience scores increased. Resilience also moderated the indirect association of perceived stress with MetS severity via HCC (b = -0.039, 95% CI [-0.001; -0.100]), such that HCC mediated the association of greater perceived stress with greater MetS severity only for individuals reporting Brief Resilience Scale scores 3 or below (range: 1.17-5.00). Psychological resilience was also associated with lower MetS severity (β = -0.227, p = 0.014) independent of perceived stress and HCC.ConclusionFindings suggest that psychological resilience may serve as both a stress buffer and as a direct determinant of cardiometabolic health. These results extend literature on psychological resilience to measures of retrospective HPA axis function and MetS severity in a diverse sample.
| S-EPMC7769194 | biostudies-literature
Project description:BackgroundHair glucocorticoids (GCs) offer a retrospective view on chronic GC exposure. We assessed whether maternal pre- and postnatal stress was associated with neonatal and maternal hair GCs postpartum (pp).MethodsOn the first day pp 172 mother-infant pairs donated hair, of whom 67 had consulted a centre of expertise for psychiatric disorders during pregnancy. Maternal stress was scored on the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale during the first/second (n = 46), third trimester (n = 57), and pp (n = 172). Hair cortisol and cortisone levels were determined by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry, and associations with maternal hospital anxiety subscale (HAS) and hospital depression subscale (HDS) scores, and antidepressant use were analyzed with linear regression.ResultsNeonatal hair GCs were negatively associated with elevated HAS-scores during the first/second trimester, log 10 (β [95% CI]) cortisol -0.19 (-0.39 to 0.02) p = 0.07, cortisone -0.10 (-0.25 to 0.05) p = 0.17; third trimester, cortisol -0.17 (-0.33 to 0.00) p = 0.05, cortisone -0.17 (-0.28 to -0.05) p = 0.01; and pp, cortisol -0.14 (-0.25 to -0.02) p = 0.02, cortisone -0.07 (-0.16 to 0.02) p = 0.10. A similar pattern was observed for elevated HDS-scores. Maternal hair GCs were positively associated with elevated HAS-scores pp (cortisol 0.17 [0.01 to 0.32] p = 0.04, cortisone 0.18 [0.06 to 0.31] p = 0.01), but not prenatally or with elevated HDS-scores. Antidepressant use was associated with elevated maternal hair GCs (p ≤ 0.05), but not with neonatal hair GCs.ConclusionExposure to excessive pre- and perinatal maternal stress was associated with a decrease in neonatal hair GCs, while elevated stress-scores around birth were associated with increased maternal hair GCs and elevated stress-scores earlier in gestation were not associated with maternal hair GCs pp. Further studies are needed to test associations with infant neurodevelopment.
| S-EPMC6492510 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Cortisol concentrations in hair are used to create hormone profiles spanning months. This method allows assessment of chronic cortisol exposure, but might be biased by hair pigmentation: dark hair was previously related to higher concentrations. It is unclear whether this association arises from local effects, such as increased hormone extractability, or whether the association represents systemic differences arising from population stratification. We tested the hypothesis that hair pigmentation gene variants are associated with varying cortisol levels independent of genetic ancestry. Hormone concentrations and genotype were measured in 1674 children from the Generation R cohort at age 6. We computed a polygenic score of hair color based on 9 single nucleotide polymorphisms. This score was used to predict hair cortisol concentrations, adjusted for genetic ancestry, sex, age and corticosteroid use. A 1-standard deviation (SD) higher polygenic score (darker hair) was associated with 0.08?SD higher cortisol levels (SE?=?0.03, p?=?0.002). This suggests that variation in hair cortisol concentrations is partly explained by local hair effects. In multi-ancestry studies this hair pigmentation bias can reduce power and confound results. Researchers should therefore consider adjusting analyses by reported hair color, by polygenic scores, or by both.
| S-EPMC5561185 | biostudies-literature
Project description:BackgroundChronic stress during adolescence has usually been evaluated through subjective measures, leaving aside objective measures such as hair cortisol concentrations. Therefore, the aim of this study was to provide reference ranges for hair cortisol concentrations by sex and age and to study the relationship between subjective and objective measures of stress and temporal stability.MethodsThe participants were 170 adolescents aged between 12 and 14 years (mean = 12.78 years; standard deviation = 0.71 years; 52.40% girls) who completed the Perceived Stress Scale 4 and had their hair sampled.ResultsThe results revealed hair cortisol concentrations ranging from 0.07 pg/mg to 9.54 pg/mg. Subjective and objective measures of stress were not related, nor was there intraindividual stability of the hair cortisol concentrations. Girls had higher hair cortisol concentrations, and there were no age differences.ConclusionsThis research provides cortisol reference values for adolescents that will allow the early detection of chronic stress. Such detection methods make it possible to prevent problems arising from stress because we can act more quickly and the treatments will be more effective. The study suggests that there is no relationship between perceived and objective stress; while perceived stress remained stable, the levels of hair cortisol were increased at 6 months. Despite the interesting findings of the study, there are some limitations: the sample was not obtained through probabilistic sampling, the age range was narrow, and some demographic, anthropomorphic and clinical factors are missing, which make the generalization of results difficult.
| S-EPMC6448926 | biostudies-literature
Project description:IntroductionThe diagnosis of endogenous Cushing syndrome is often challenging and requires multiple repeated blood, urine, and saliva tests to detect elevated cortisol levels. Hair cortisol concentration has been described as a marker of long-term exposure to systemic cortisol in patients with Cushing syndrome. Like hemoglobin A1c is used to detect serum glucose exposure over months, segmental hair cortisol can help identify patients with milder forms of and/or periodic or cyclical Cushing syndrome, which may reduce time and costs associated with collection of urine, salivary, and serum cortisol.Areas coveredSuccess of hair cortisol in detection of Cushing syndrome will be discussed in context of current literature, including differences between total or segmental hair cortisol in accurately determining timeline of cortisol exposure. Optimal methods of hair collection, storage, processing, and analysis and efforts toward standardization will be a major focus.Expert commentaryRecent evidence suggests increased sensitivity and specificity of hair cortisol in detecting Cushing syndrome. Future guidelines should consider this test as a routine part of the repertoire of screening tests for Cushing syndrome. Possible confounders to explain discrepant results in the literature will be discussed.
| S-EPMC6378952 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Long-term dependence of illicit drugs impairs the function of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis, which regulates the secretion of endogenous steroids, cortisol, and cortisone. Thus, the present study aimed to develop a sensitive method for simultaneous determination of the multiple illicit drugs and two steroids in hair to monitor the status of illicit drug exposure and the physiological and psychological health of drug addicts. The target analytes were extracted from hair by incubation with 1 mL methanol for 24 h at 40 °C and then determined with LC-APCI+-MS/MS. The validated method showed acceptable linearity (R2 > 0.99) in the range of 1.25-250 pg/mg for cortisol and cortisone, 2.5-125 pg/mg for heroin, 2.5-1250 pg/mg for ketamine, 2.5-5000 pg/mg for methamphetamine (MAM), 2.5-250 pg/mg for 3, 4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA), morphine, and 6-monoacetylmorphine (6-AM). Limits of quantification were 1.6, 1.2, 1.6, 1.0, 1.4, 0.3, 2.1, and 1.2 pg/mg for cortisol, cortisone, heroin, ketamine, MAM, MDMA, morphine, and 6-AM, respectively. Method recoveries were from 90-115% for all analytes. Inter-day and intra-day coefficients of variation were within 10%. Finally, this method was successfully applied to detect the aforementioned analytes in hair among female drug addicts who self-reported to be MAM abuser, heroin abuser, ketamine abuser, and abuser of mixture drugs of MAM and heroin. MAM abusers with current MAM use showed significantly higher concentrations of cortisol, MAM, and MDMA than controls with drug withdrawal.
| S-EPMC7835904 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Blubber, a specialized hyperdermic adipose tissue found in marine mammals, has been identified as a useful tissue for the assessment of steroid hormone homeostasis in cetaceans. However, blubber cortisol measurements are not quantitatively predictive of circulating cortisol concentrations in bottlenose dolphins. In other mammals, adipose tissue metabolizes steroid hormones. Thus, it is proposed that the disagreement between blubber and blood cortisol in bottlenose dolphins could be due in part to metabolism of corticosteroids in blubber. The purpose of this study is to characterize the ability of blubber to interconvert cortisol and cortisone using an in vitro design. Results demonstrate that bottlenose dolphin blubber microsomes interconvert cortisol and cortisone, an effect that is abated by denaturing the microsomes, indicating this is an enzymatic process. These findings lead to the conclusion that blubber is likely a site of active steroid metabolism, which should be considered in future studies utilizing blubber as a matrix for endocrine assessment.
| S-EPMC6774200 | biostudies-literature