Granger, D. A., Schwartz, E. B., Booth, A., Curran, M., & Zakaria, D. (1999).  Assessing dehydroepiandrosterone in saliva:  A simple radioimmunoassay for use in studies of children, adolescents, and adults.  Psychoneuroendocrinology, 24, 567-579.

Abstract.

While salivary assays for some hormones are widely used, the availability of assays for salivary DHEA is limited.  By adapting a commercially available radioimmunoassay serum kit, we developed a reliable, efficient and sensitive measure of DHEA in saliva that does not require separation or extraction.  The minimum detection limit was 4.0 pg/ml.  Intra assay coefficients of variation (CV%) were on average 4.05, and interassay CVs averaged 12.57.  Method accuracy, determined by spike recovery, and linearity, determined by serial dilution, averaged 99.55 and 92.03%.  Levels in matched serum and saliva samples showed strong linear relationships for adult males and females.  Specific guidelines are developed for sample collection, storage, and preparation procedures.  Reference ranges for salivary DHEA levels are provided for 64 children ages 8-11, 96 adolescents ages 12-17, and 48 adults ages 30-45.  Salivary DHEA levels are shown to reflect developmental, gender, and diurnal differences.

For reprints contact Dr. Granger at dag11@psu.edu

The Pennsylvania State University Behavioral Endocrinology Laboratory