Zhao Zi-Yan, Xie Yi, Fu Yue-Rong, Li Yu-Yang, Bogdan André, Touitou Yvan
Anti-Senility Research Center of Shandong, Shandong Academy of Medical Sciences, 250062 Jinan, PR China.
Steroids. 2003 Feb;68(2):133-8. doi: 10.1016/s0039-128x(02)00167-8.
The relation of adrenal function and aging has been the subject of intense interest in recent years. The circadian variations of plasma cortisol have been described in Caucasians, but little information is available on such hormone variations among the Chinese population, especially its changes with age. This study was, therefore, designed to examine the effects of age on the circadian variations of serum cortisol, dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEAS) and the molar ratio of cortisol/DHEAS in Chinese men, stratified by 10-year age-groups (i.e. men in their 30-60s, aged from 31 to 63 years old). Circadian variations of serum cortisol and DHEAS were documented at 2-h intervals from 8:00 to 22:00 and hourly from 22:00 to 8:00 in 26 healthy Chinese men. We found that the serum levels of both hormones showed a statistically significant circadian rhythmicity in all age-groups. The circadian pattern of serum cortisol was characterized by peaks (04:00-06:00) and troughs (18:00-24:00) occurring approximately 2h earlier than those usually reported in Caucasians. Aging did not significantly influence serum cortisol concentrations, but serum DHEAS levels declined significantly with age: subjects in their 60s had significantly lower levels, and their cortisol/DHEAS molar ratios were significantly higher than those in the younger age-groups.
近年来，肾上腺功能与衰老的关系一直是人们密切关注的课题。白种人中已描述了血浆皮质醇的昼夜变化，但关于中国人群中此类激素变化的信息较少，尤其是其随年龄的变化。因此，本研究旨在探讨年龄对中国男性血清皮质醇、硫酸脱氢表雄酮（DHEAS）昼夜变化以及皮质醇/DHEAS摩尔比的影响，按10岁年龄组分层（即30至60多岁的男性，年龄在31至63岁之间）。对26名健康中国男性从8:00至22:00每2小时、从22:00至8:00每小时记录血清皮质醇和DHEAS的昼夜变化。我们发现，在所有年龄组中，两种激素的血清水平均呈现出具有统计学意义的昼夜节律性。血清皮质醇的昼夜模式特征为峰值（04:00 - 06:00）和谷值（18:00 - 24:00），其出现时间比白种人通常报告的时间早约2小时。衰老并未显著影响血清皮质醇浓度，但血清DHEAS水平随年龄显著下降：60多岁的受试者水平显著较低，且其皮质醇/DHEAS摩尔比显著高于年轻年龄组。
