Department of Child and Adolescent Mental Health, University Hospital Erlangen, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU), Erlangen.
Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Germany.
Ther Drug Monit. 2020 Dec;42(6):902-908. doi: 10.1097/FTD.0000000000000779.
As a marker of cumulative cortisol activity, hair cortisol has received attention in clinical and methodological research. Currently, it is a common practice to relate the hair cortisol concentration (HCC) to hair weight. This article explores the hair protein concentration (HPC) as another possible reference value for HCC.
For n = 18 hair samples cut from the posterior vertex, the HCC, HPC, and hair sample weight were determined, and the cortisol-to-weight and cortisol-to-protein ratios were calculated. Correlations were analyzed between the HCC, HPC, and hair sample weight as well as between the cortisol-to-weight and cortisol-to-protein ratios. Hair sample weight and HPC were included as independent variables in a stepwise linear regression model to predict HCC.
The HCC and HPC did not correlate significantly (r = 0.393, P = 0.106); however, the correlation between HCC and hair sample weight was significant (r = 0.520, P = 0.027). The HPC and hair sample weight (r = 0.605, P = 0.008) as well as the cortisol-to-weight and cortisol-to-protein ratios (r = 0.858, P < 0.000) showed a high correlation. The hair sample weight was the better predictor of the HCC (β = 0.520, P = 0.027) than HPC (β = 0.125, P = 0.657).
The results indicate that the hair sample weight is the more suitable reference value for the HCC. Thus, the standard cortisol-to-weight ratio should be used as the preferred expression for the cumulative cortisol activity measured in the scalp hair. However, calculating the cortisol-to-protein ratio can be considered as an alternative if the hair sample weight is not available.
作为累积皮质醇活动的标志物，头发皮质醇在临床和方法学研究中受到关注。目前，将头发皮质醇浓度（HCC）与头发重量相关联是一种常见做法。本文探讨了头发蛋白浓度（HPC）作为 HCC 的另一种可能参考值。
对于 n = 18 个从后顶点剪下的头发样本，测定 HCC、HPC 和头发样本重量，并计算皮质醇与重量和皮质醇与蛋白的比值。分析 HCC、HPC 和头发样本重量之间的相关性，以及皮质醇与重量和皮质醇与蛋白比值之间的相关性。将头发样本重量和 HPC 作为自变量纳入逐步线性回归模型，以预测 HCC。
HCC 和 HPC 之间无显著相关性（r = 0.393，P = 0.106）；然而，HCC 与头发样本重量之间的相关性显著（r = 0.520，P = 0.027）。HPC 与头发样本重量（r = 0.605，P = 0.008）以及皮质醇与重量和皮质醇与蛋白的比值（r = 0.858，P < 0.000）之间存在高度相关性。头发样本重量是 HCC 的更好预测指标（β = 0.520，P = 0.027），而不是 HPC（β = 0.125，P = 0.657）。
结果表明，头发样本重量是 HCC 更合适的参考值。因此，标准皮质醇与重量的比值应作为头皮头发中累积皮质醇活性的首选表达方式。但是，如果无法获得头发样本重量，则可以考虑计算皮质醇与蛋白的比值作为替代方法。
