Simultaneous quantitative analysis of salivary cortisol and cortisone in Korean adults using LC-MS/MS

The levels of salivary cortisol and cortisone in Korean adults were measured for the first time using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). The salivary cortisol and cortisone were separated within 10 min. The regression coefficients (r) of the calibration curves were greater than 0.999 for the two steroids. The limits of quantitation (LOQ) were 0.2 ng/ml for cortisol and 1 ng/ml for cortisone. The intra-day precisions of the assay were <3.9% and 8.6% for cortisol and cortisone respectively, and the inter-day precisions were <1.9% and 4.3% for cortisol and cortisone, respectively. The salivary cortisone concentrations were approximately 4-9 times higher than those of salivary cortisol during the daytime. Diurnal rhythms, during which the cortisol and cortisone concentrations were higher in the morning than in the afternoon, were also observed. The present assay may be useful for the diagnosis of several adrenal dysfunctions in clinical biochemistry.