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Published on: August 13, 2019
Evaluation of thumbnail clipping as a specimen for retrospectively assessing average production of testosterone
Tatsuya Higashi1, Saki Aso1, Hiroaki Horisaki1
1Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Tokyo University of Science, 2641 Yamazaki, Noda, Chiba 278-8510, Japan.
Background:
The chronic abnormal production of testosterone (T) is associated with many disorders in men. Fingernail clippings might be more suited for the diagnosis and medium-to-long term therapeutic monitoring for the T-related chronic disorders than the blood-derived specimens. The objective of this study was to characterize a thumbnail clipping as the specimen for assessing the several months-old T status.
Methods:
Thumbnail clippings from various subjects were analyzed by liquid chromatography/electrospray ionization-tandem mass spectrometry to evaluate the gender difference, and changes caused by aging and androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) in the thumbnail T concentration.
Results:
There was an evident gender difference in the thumbnail T concentrations [male; 2.55 ± 0.85 ng/g and female; 0.48 ± 0.29 ng/g, mean ± SD (n = 25 each), Welch t-test]. The thumbnail T concentrations significantly decreased with age in men (n = 268, Scheffé F-test), which was similar to those of the free or bioavailable T in serum/plasma. The thumbnail T concentrations sharply decreased by a 6-months ADT (especially the effect of the luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone agonist/antagonist) for patients with prostate cancer (n = 10).
Conclusions:
The thumbnail clipping can be a specimen to retrospectively assess the average T production.
