Salivary Steroid Collection in Children Under Conditions Replicating Home Sampling

A validated LC-MS/MS assay successfully measured 13 steroid hormones and two synthetic steroids in saliva, requiring only 50 microlitres, or down to 2 to 5 microlitres for nine analytes. This shows saliva's viability for non-invasive, patient-centric microsampling and decentralised monitoring in paediatric, neonatal and adult populations.

An LC-MS/MS assay for simultaneous determination of 13 steroid hormones and two synthetic steroids in saliva: potential utility for paediatric population and beyond — Dahl et al., Scandinavian journal of clinical and laboratory investigation (paywalled) · source ↗

• cortisol
• self-collection
• steroids
• pediatric
• hormones
• liquid
• validation
• saliva

This study used home self-collected saliva samples to successfully monitor cytokines and cortisol in mothers and infants, finding that a community singing intervention significantly reduced salivary interleukin-6 levels in mothers with postnatal depression.

Community singing intervention reduces maternal salivary cytokines and enhances maternal-infant cortisol synchrony in postnatal depression: biological findings from the SHAPER-PND trial — Kirkpatrick et al., Brain, behavior, and immunity (paywalled) · source ↗

• dct
• cortisol
• self-collection
• pediatric
• hormones
• liquid
• saliva
• biomarkers

This study found that salivary 11-dehydrodexamethasone correlates strongly with serum dexamethasone, unlike salivary dexamethasone which shows poor agreement. This validation suggests patients could self-collect saliva samples at home to verify dexamethasone absorption for the overnight suppression test.

The Utility of Salivary 11-Dehydrodexamethasone as a Marker of Dexamethasone Absorption — Marshall et al., The Journal of clinical endocrinology and metabolism (paywalled) · source ↗

• venous-agreement
• tdm
• cortisol
• self-collection
• hormones
• liquid
• validation
• saliva

This study validated a lateral flow fluorescence assay using quantum dots for saliva and europium nanoparticles for serum to detect cortisol within physiological ranges. The test operates in 15 minutes with a handheld reader, supporting point-of-care and at-home monitoring without a cold chain.

Ultrasensitive de novo Protein Sandwich Lateral flow Fluorescence Assay for Cortisol in Saliva and Serum using Quantum dots and Europium Nanoparticles — Bruno et al., Journal of fluorescence (paywalled) · source ↗

• blood
• saliva
• liquid
• self-collection
• validation
• hormones
• cortisol

During ACTH stimulation, salivary cortisol correlated only weakly with serum and gave modest accuracy: saliva does not reliably replace serum cortisol for adrenal insufficiency. A concrete limit.

Reliability of Salivary versus Serum Cortisol for Diagnosing Adrenal Insufficiency in Children — Ciancia et al., Children · source ↗

• venous-agreement
• blood
• cortisol
• pediatric
• hormones
• liquid
• validation
• saliva