Evaluation of thumbnail clipping as a specimen for retrospectively assessing average production of testosterone

• Published in: Clinica chimica acta 2023-01, Vol.538, p.157-163
• Main Authors: Higashi, Tatsuya, Aso, Saki, Horisaki, Hiroaki, Ito, Takenori, Tanaka, Sakurako, Nishimoto-Kusunose, Shoichi, Ogawa, Shoujiro, Kato, Kazuhiko, Ide, Hisamitsu
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Age-related decline; Androgen Antagonists - therapeutic use; Androgen deprivation therapy; Gender difference; Humans; Male; Nails - chemistry; Retrospective Studies; Testosterone - analysis; Testosterone status; Thumbnail clipping
• ISSN: 0009-8981; 1873-3492
• DOI: 10.1016/j.cca.2022.11.019

•Thumbnail clipping was evaluated for assessing the testosterone (T) status.•There was an evident gender difference in the nail T concentrations.•The nail T concentrations decreased with age as with the blood free/bioavailable T.•The nail T concentrations sharply decreased by ADT for the prostate cancer patients.•Retrospective assessment of the T production is possible with thumbnail clippings. The chronic abnormal production of testosterone (T) is associated with many disorders in men. Fingernail clippings might be more suited for the diagnosis and medium-to-long term therapeutic monitoring for the T-related chronic disorders than the blood-derived specimens. The objective of this study was to characterize a thumbnail clipping as the specimen for assessing the several months-old T status. Thumbnail clippings from various subjects were analyzed by liquid chromatography/electrospray ionization-tandem mass spectrometry to evaluate the gender difference, and changes caused by aging and androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) in the thumbnail T concentration. There was an evident gender difference in the thumbnail T concentrations [male; 2.55 ± 0.85 ng/g and female; 0.48 ± 0.29 ng/g, mean ± SD (n = 25 each), Welch t-test]. The thumbnail T concentrations significantly decreased with age in men (n = 268, Scheffé F-test), which was similar to those of the free or bioavailable T in serum/plasma. The thumbnail T concentrations sharply decreased by a 6-months ADT (especially the effect of the luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone agonist/antagonist) for patients with prostate cancer (n = 10). The thumbnail clipping can be a specimen to retrospectively assess the average T production.