Testosterone/Epitestosterone Ratios-Further Hints to Explain Hyperandrogenemia in Children with Autism

Area of Science:

• Endocrinology
• Neurodevelopmental Disorders
• Biomarker Discovery

Background:

• Epitestosterone, previously considered inactive, shows antiandrogenic activity.
• The testosterone/epitestosterone (T/E) ratio is implicated in androgen activity.
• Autism is associated with potentially higher androgen activity.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate T/E ratios in children with and without autism.
• To explore the T/E ratio as a potential biomarker for autism spectrum disorder (ASD).

Main Methods:

• Urine samples from 22 girls and 61 boys with autism, and 51 and 61 controls, respectively, were analyzed.
• Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry was used for steroid hormone analysis.
• Age and BMI were controlled for between groups.

Main Results:

• No significant difference in T/E ratio was found between boys with autism and controls (p=0.977).
• A significant difference in T/E ratio was observed in girls with autism compared to controls (p=0.0285).
• Age dependence was noted in T/E ratios across all samples.

Conclusions:

• The T/E ratio may serve as a potential, easily applicable biomarker for supporting autism diagnostics in girls.
• The findings in girls warrant further investigation due to sample size limitations and potential confounding factors.
• Epitestosterone's antiandrogenic role might explain the higher prevalence of autism in boys, but other steroid hormone pathways appear more relevant in boys.