Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Determination of steroid hormones in blood by GC–MS/MS

  • Original Paper
  • Published:
Analytical and Bioanalytical Chemistry Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

This paper presents the development, optimization and validation of a methodology to determine nine key steroid hormones (viz. pregnenolone, progesterone, dehydroepiandrosterone, androstenedione, testosterone, dihydrotestosterone, estrone, 17α-estradiol and 17β-estradiol) expressed in the steroidogenesis in biological fluids. The analytical method allows for the determination of steroid hormones in blood plasma and serum down to 0.08–0.16 ng/mL for estrogens, 0.20–0.36 ng/mL for androgens and 0.36–0.43 ng/mL for progestagens. These limits of detection were obtainable using a two-step solid-phase clean-up for fractionation and elimination of interfering lipids (fatty acids, phospholipids, glycerides and sterols) from the steroid hormones. The accuracy of the method was 50–112% in the range 0.10 to 2.00 ng/mL.

 

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Hadley ME, Levine JE (2007) Endocrinology. Pearson Prentice Hall, Upper Saddle River, NJ, USA

  2. Crain DA, Janssen SJ, Edwards TM, Heindel J, Ho SM, Hunt P, Iguchi T, Juul A, McLachlan JA, Schwartz J, Skakkebaek N, Soto AM, Swan S, Walker C, Woodruff TK, Woodruff TJ, Giudice LC, Guillette LJ Jr (2008) Fertil Steril 90:911–940

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  3. Gracia T, Hilscherova K, Jones PD, Newsted JL, Zhang X, Hecker M, Higley EB, Sanderson JT, Yu RM, Wu RS, Giesy JP (2006) Ecotoxicol Environ Saf 65:293–305

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  4. Hecker M, Newsted JL, Murphy MB, Higley EB, Jones PD, Wu R, Giesy JP (2006) Toxicol Appl Pharmacol 217:114–124

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  5. Toppari J, Larsen JC, Christiansen P, Giwercman A, Grandjean P, Guillette LJ Jr, Jegou B, Jensen TK, Jouannet P, Keiding N, Leffers H, McLachlan JA, Meyer O, Muller J, Rajpert-De ME, Scheike T, Sharpe R, Sumpter J, Skakkebaek NE (1996) Environ Health Perspect 104(Suppl 4):741–803

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  6. Faupel-Badger JM, Fuhrman BJ, Xu X, Falk RT, Keefer LK, Veenstra TD, Hoover RN, Ziegler RG (2010) Cancer Epidemiol Biomark Prev 19:292–300

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  7. Stanczyk FZ, Lee JS, Santen RJ (2007) Cancer Epidemiol Biomark Prev 16:1713–1719

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  8. Gazdar AF, Oie HK, Shackleton CH, Chen TR, Triche TJ, Myers CE, Chrousos GP, Brennan MF, Stein CA, La Rocca RV (1990) Cancer Res 50:5488–5496

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  9. Taieb J, Mathian B, Millot F, Patricot MC, Mathieu E, Queyrel N, Lacroix I, Somma-Delpero C, Boudou P (2003) Clin Chem 49:1381–1395

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  10. Herold DA, Fitzgerald RL (2003) Clin Chem 49:1250–1251

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  11. Ternes TA, Andersen H, Gilberg D, Bonerz M (2002) Anal Chem 74:3498–3504

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  12. Kaluzny MA, Duncan LA, Merritt MV, Epps DE (1985) J Lipid Res 26:135–140

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  13. Greenland P, Bowley NL, Meiklejohn B, Doane KL, Sparks CE (1990) Clin Chem 36:628–630

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  14. Mora S, Rifai N, Buring JE, Ridker PM (2009) Clin Chem 55:888–894

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  15. Draisci R, Palleschi L, Ferretti E, Marchiafava C, Lucentini L, Cammarata P (1998) Analyst 123:2605–2609

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  16. Draisci R, Palleschi L, Ferretti E, Lucentini L, Cammarata P (2000) J Chromatogr A 870:511–522

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  17. Laegdsmand M, Andersen H, Jacobsen OH, Halling-Sorensen B (2009) J Environ Qual 38:955–964

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  18. Ternes TA, Stumpf M, Mueller J, Haberer K, Wilken R-D, Servos M (1999) Sci Total Environ 225:81–90

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  19. Bester K (2008) Anal Bioanal Chem 391:15–20

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  20. Hansen M, Björklund E, Krogh KA, Halling-Sørensen B (2009) TrAC Trends Anal Chem 28:521–533

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  21. Runnqvist H, Bak SA, Hansen M, Styrishave B, Halling-Sørensen B, Björklund E (2010) J Chromatogr A 1217:2447–2470

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  22. Christeff N, Auclair MC, Benassayag C, Carli A, Nunez EA (1987) J Steroid Biochem 26:67–71

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  23. Farrell GC, Koltai A, Murray M (1988) J Clin Invest 81:221–228

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  24. Serra M, Pisu MG, Muggironi M, Parodo V, Papi G, Sari R, Dazzi L, Spiga F, Purdy RH, Biggio G (2001) Psychopharmacology (Berl) 158:48–54

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  25. Zorrilla LM, Gibson EK, Jeffay SC, Crofton KM, Setzer WR, Cooper RL, Stoker TE (2009) Toxicol Sci 107:56–64

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  26. US National Library of Medicine (2010) ChemIDplus Advanced. http://chem.sis.nlm.nih.gov/chemidplus/

Download references

Acknowledgements

This work was supported by the Pathos Centre (ENV 2104-07-0015) funded by the Danish Strategic Research Council, the Drug Research Academy (Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Copenhagen) and a climate-change project funded by Dean Sven Frøkjær, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Copenhagen. Kenneth M. Pedersen is gratefully acknowledged for his technical assistance in our EnvTox research group.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Section of Toxicology and Environmental Chemistry, Department of Pharmaceutics and Analytical Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Universitetsparken 2, 2100, Copenhagen, Denmark

    Martin Hansen, Naja W. Jacobsen, Frederik K. Nielsen, Erland Björklund, Bjarne Styrishave & Bent Halling-Sørensen

Authors
  1. Martin Hansen
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Naja W. Jacobsen
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Frederik K. Nielsen
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Erland Björklund
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Bjarne Styrishave
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. Bent Halling-Sørensen
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Martin Hansen.

Electronic supplementary material

Below is the link to the electronic supplementary material.

ESM 1

(PDF 337 kb)

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Hansen, M., Jacobsen, N.W., Nielsen, F.K. et al. Determination of steroid hormones in blood by GC–MS/MS. Anal Bioanal Chem 400, 3409–3417 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00216-011-5038-8

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00216-011-5038-8

Keywords

Search

Navigation