Sarkar P, Bergman K, Fisk N M, O'Connor T G, Glover V
Institute of Reproductive and Developmental Biology, Imperial College London, Hammersmith Campus, London, UK.
Clin Endocrinol (Oxf). 2007 Nov;67(5):743-7. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2265.2007.02955.x. Epub 2007 Jul 18.
Foetal exposure to testosterone is increasingly implicated in the programming of future reproductive and non-reproductive behaviour. Some outcomes associated with prenatal exposure to testosterone may be predicted from exposure to prenatal stress, suggesting a link between them. The peak serum levels of testosterone in the foetus are thought to be around 14-18 weeks' gestation, and we explored testosterone levels at different gestations. Although best investigated in foetal plasma, this is now difficult because of the decline in frequency of foetal blood sampling; in this study, we used amniotic fluid as a biomarker to investigate foetal exposure.
To investigate the relationship between amniotic fluid testosterone, amniotic fluid cortisol, foetal gender, and gestational age.
Paired amniotic fluid and maternal plasma samples were collected from 264 pregnant women undergoing amniocentesis between 15 and 37 weeks' gestation (median 17 weeks [119 days]). Total testosterone and cortisol in amniotic fluid, and total plasma testosterone (maternal) were measured by radioimmunoassay.
Amniotic fluid testosterone levels were higher in male than in female foetuses, with a median (interquartile range) of 0.85 nmol/l (0.60-1.17 nmol/l) and 0.28 nmol/l (0.175-0.45 nmol/l), respectively. No relationship between amniotic fluid testosterone and gestational age was detected in either sex. Amniotic fluid testosterone correlated positively with amniotic fluid cortisol in both sexes (r = 0.30 male foetuses, r = 0.33 female foetuses, P < 0.001 for both), and remained significant in multivariate analysis.
Testosterone in amniotic fluid did not change with gestation in the second and third trimester, raising questions about the timing of the reported early peak in the male foetus. The positive correlation between cortisol and testosterone in amniotic fluid suggests that increased foetal exposure to cortisol may also be associated with increased exposure to testosterone.
胎儿期暴露于睾酮与未来生殖及非生殖行为的编程越来越相关。产前暴露于睾酮的一些后果可能可由产前应激暴露预测，这表明二者之间存在联系。胎儿血清睾酮的峰值水平被认为在妊娠14 - 18周左右，我们探究了不同孕周时的睾酮水平。虽然对胎儿血浆进行研究最为理想，但由于胎儿采血频率下降，目前这已变得困难；在本研究中，我们使用羊水作为生物标志物来研究胎儿暴露情况。
探究羊水睾酮、羊水皮质醇、胎儿性别及孕周之间的关系。
从264名在妊娠15至37周（中位数为17周[119天]）接受羊膜穿刺术的孕妇中采集配对的羊水和母体血浆样本。通过放射免疫分析法测量羊水中的总睾酮和皮质醇以及母体血浆中的总睾酮。
男性胎儿的羊水睾酮水平高于女性胎儿，中位数（四分位间距）分别为0.85 nmol/l（0.60 - 1.17 nmol/l）和0.28 nmol/l（0.175 - 0.45 nmol/l）。在任何一种性别中均未检测到羊水睾酮与孕周之间的关系。两性的羊水睾酮均与羊水皮质醇呈正相关（男性胎儿r = 0.30，女性胎儿r = 0.33，两者P均< 0.001），且在多变量分析中仍具有显著性。
妊娠中期和晚期羊水中的睾酮水平不随孕周变化，这对所报道的男性胎儿早期峰值出现的时间提出了疑问。羊水中皮质醇与睾酮之间的正相关表明，胎儿暴露于皮质醇增加也可能与暴露于睾酮增加有关。
