TY - JOUR

T1 - Longitudinal Increases in Serum Insulin-like Factor 3 and Testosterone Determined by LC-MS/MS in Pubertal Danish Boys

AU - Albrethsen, Jakob

AU - Ljubicic, Marie Lindhardt

AU - Juul, Anders

N1 - Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Endocrine Society 2020.

PY - 2020

Y1 - 2020

N2 - BACKGROUND: Serum concentrations of the peptide hormone insulin-like factor 3 (INSL3) is a candidate marker for improved distinction between constitutional delay of growth and puberty (CDGP) and permanent hypogonadotropic hypogonadism (HH) in boys.AIM: To assess the possible diagnostic role of LC-MS/MS-based INSL3 measurements as a marker of imminent puberty by comparison with testosterone (T) and luteinizing hormone (LH) levels in serum longitudinally collected from 18 healthy boys throughout puberty.RESULTS: The first increase in serum LH was detected on average 4 months earlier, as compared with the first observed increases in INSL3 and T. When comparing the 2 testicular hormones only, we found that in 22% (4 of 18) of the boys the first increase in serum INSL3 was observed prior to the first observed increase in T, whereas in 44% (8 of 18) the first increase in T was observed before the first observed increase in INSL3. In the remaining 6 boys, the 2 testicular hormones showed the first increase at the same examination.CONCLUSION: In some boys with delayed puberty, the first indication of testicular maturation may be detectable by observing serum INSL3. Further studies of LC-MS/MS determination of serum INSL3 in patients with CDGP and HH are warranted.

AB - BACKGROUND: Serum concentrations of the peptide hormone insulin-like factor 3 (INSL3) is a candidate marker for improved distinction between constitutional delay of growth and puberty (CDGP) and permanent hypogonadotropic hypogonadism (HH) in boys.AIM: To assess the possible diagnostic role of LC-MS/MS-based INSL3 measurements as a marker of imminent puberty by comparison with testosterone (T) and luteinizing hormone (LH) levels in serum longitudinally collected from 18 healthy boys throughout puberty.RESULTS: The first increase in serum LH was detected on average 4 months earlier, as compared with the first observed increases in INSL3 and T. When comparing the 2 testicular hormones only, we found that in 22% (4 of 18) of the boys the first increase in serum INSL3 was observed prior to the first observed increase in T, whereas in 44% (8 of 18) the first increase in T was observed before the first observed increase in INSL3. In the remaining 6 boys, the 2 testicular hormones showed the first increase at the same examination.CONCLUSION: In some boys with delayed puberty, the first indication of testicular maturation may be detectable by observing serum INSL3. Further studies of LC-MS/MS determination of serum INSL3 in patients with CDGP and HH are warranted.

KW - Adolescent

KW - Biomarkers/blood

KW - Child

KW - Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid

KW - Denmark

KW - Healthy Volunteers

KW - Humans

KW - Insulin/blood

KW - Longitudinal Studies

KW - Luteinizing Hormone/blood

KW - Male

KW - Pilot Projects

KW - Proteins

KW - Puberty/blood

KW - Reference Values

KW - Tandem Mass Spectrometry

KW - Testosterone/blood

U2 - 10.1210/clinem/dgaa496

DO - 10.1210/clinem/dgaa496

M3 - Journal article

C2 - 32761207

VL - 105

SP - 3173

EP - 3178

JO - Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism

JF - Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism

SN - 0021-972X

IS - 10

ER -