Neuroactive steroids are a group of steroid molecules that are involved in the regulation of functions of the nervous system. The nervous system is not only the site of their action, but their biosynthesis can also occur there. Neuroactive steroid levels depend not only on the physiological state of an individual (person's sex, age, diurnal variation, etc.), but they are also affected by various pathological processes in the nervous system (some neurological and psychiatric diseases or injuries), and new knowledge can be gained by monitoring these processes. The aim of our research was to develop and validate a comprehensive method for the simultaneous determination of selected steroids with neuroactive effects in human serum. The developed method enables high throughput and a sensitive quantitative analysis of nine neuroactive steroid substances (pregnenolone, progesterone, 5α-dihydroprogesterone, allopregnanolone, testosterone, 5α-dihydrotestosterone, androstenedione, dehydroepiandrosterone, and epiandrosterone) in 150 μL of human serum by ultrahigh-performance liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry. The correlation coefficients above 0.999 indicated that the developed analytical procedure was linear in the range of 0.90 nmol/L to 28.46 μmol/L in human serum. The accuracy and precision of the method for all analytes ranged from 83 to 118% and from 0.9 to 14.1%, respectively. This described method could contribute to a deeper understanding of the pathophysiology of various diseases. Similarly, it can also be helpful in the search for new biomarkers and diagnostic options or therapeutic approaches.

• Klíčová slova
• neuroactive steroids, neurosteroids, serum, ultrahigh-performance liquid chromatography−tandem mass spectrometry,
• MeSH
• lidé MeSH
• neurosteroidy krev   MeSH
• reprodukovatelnost výsledků MeSH
• steroidy krev   analýza   MeSH
• tandemová hmotnostní spektrometrie * metody   MeSH
• vysokoúčinná kapalinová chromatografie metody   MeSH
• Check Tag
• lidé MeSH
• mužské pohlaví MeSH
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH
• práce podpořená grantem MeSH

The recent COVID-19 pandemic is the defining global health crisis of our time and little is known about this disease. It has been reported that advanced age is considered a major risk factor for COVID-19 complications, and data suggest that this disease is deadlier for men than women but these observations are currently unclear. Regarding androgen action, it has been shown that certain smooth muscles are a target for androgens by inducing an acute relaxing effect in airway and vascular tissues that is nongenomically mediated; likewise, androgens are capable of inducing genomic anti-inflammatory and nongenomic hypotensive responses. The aim of this report is to associate the relationship between COVID-19 and aging men as well as the comorbidities presented in this group of patients linked with androgen deficiency. Remarkably, the nongenomic mechanisms of androgens as potential protectors are reviewed. On this basis, it is suggested that hypotestosteronemia may be a risk factor for COVID-19 severity.

• MeSH
• androgeny krev   MeSH
• COVID-19 krev   diagnóza   patofyziologie   MeSH
• lidé MeSH
• posouzení stavu pacienta * MeSH
• stárnutí krev   patologie   MeSH
• svaly hladké cévní metabolismus   patologie   MeSH
• vazodilatace fyziologie   MeSH
• zvířata MeSH
• Check Tag
• lidé MeSH
• mužské pohlaví MeSH
• ženské pohlaví MeSH
• zvířata MeSH
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH
• přehledy MeSH
• Názvy látek
• androgeny MeSH

As environmental and genetic components contribute to the PCOS expression, we compared levels of endocrine disruptors, steroid hormones, cytokines, and metabolic parameters in twenty healthy, nine normal-weight PCOS women, and ten obese PCOS women. Steroid hormones, bisphenols (BPA, BPS, BPF, BPAF) and parabens (methyl-, ethyl-, propyl-, butyl-, benzyl-parabens) were measured by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. Differences between the groups were assessed using the Mann-Whitney U test. Spearman correlation coefficients were calculated for the individual parameters relationship. Significantly higher levels of BPA, anti-Müllerain hormone, lutropine, lutropine/folitropine ratio, testosterone, androstenedione, 7beta-OH-epiandrosterone, and cytokines (IL-6, VEGF, PDGF-bb), were found in normal-weight PCOS women compared to controls. Between normal-weight and obese PCOS women, there were no differences in hormonal, but in metabolic parameters. Obese PCOS women had significantly higher insulin resistance, fatty-liver index, triglycerides, cytokines (IL-2, IL-13, IFN-gamma). In healthy, but not in PCOS, women, there was a positive correlation of BPA with testosterone, SHBG with lutropine, and folitropine, while testosterone negatively correlated with SHBG. In obese women with PCOS, insulin resistance negatively correlated with SHBG and estradiol. No differences were observed in the paraben exposure. Levels of BPA were higher in PCOS women, indicating its role in the etiology. Obesity significantly worsens the symptoms.

• MeSH
• cytokiny krev   MeSH
• dospělí MeSH
• endokrinní disruptory krev   MeSH
• estrogeny krev   MeSH
• index tělesné hmotnosti MeSH
• inzulinová rezistence MeSH
• lidé MeSH
• obezita krev   epidemiologie   patologie   MeSH
• studie případů a kontrol MeSH
• syndrom polycystických ovarií krev   epidemiologie   patologie   MeSH
• testosteron krev   MeSH
• Check Tag
• dospělí MeSH
• lidé MeSH
• ženské pohlaví MeSH
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH
• Geografické názvy
• Česká republika epidemiologie   MeSH
• Názvy látek
• cytokiny MeSH
• endokrinní disruptory MeSH
• estrogeny MeSH
• testosteron MeSH