Knowledge Bank

Estradiol (E2) is an important female sex hormone, vital to many reproductive and endocrine functions. Dysregulated E2 levels may contribute to the pathogenesis of certain reproductive, endocrine, and autoimmune diseases. Abnormal E2 levels may also serve as biomarkers for these conditions. Although the concentration of hormones such as E2 are typically measured in the blood, there is growing interest in salivary measurement due to saliva’s ability to reflect the free, unbound hormone fraction in circulation and it’s non-invasive, easily repeatable collection. These qualities make salivary hormones suitable for applications in diagnosis, disease monitoring, and treatment evaluation.

At the Giusti Phytochemicals Laboratory, we are working on a method to monitor saliva-phenolic interactions. Our preliminary data suggests these interactions may be related to estrogenic hormone fluctuations in the saliva. The goal of this experiment is to develop a method for the qualitative and quantitative detection of salivary estradiol of healthy women in their reproductive age using ultra high-pressure liquid chromatography with photodiode array and tandem mass spectrometric detection (uHPLC-PDA-MS/MS). To achieve this goal, the uHPLC-PDA-MS/MS limit of detection (LOD) and limit of quantitation (LOQ) for salivary E2 must be established. To determine LOD and LOQ, increasing concentrations of pure E2 standards will be run through the uHPLC-PDA-MS/MS, as will saliva spiked with increasing concentrations of E2. This information allows us to discern whether E2 concentrations in follicular phase and pre-ovulatory saliva samples fall within the instrument’s reliable detection range. LOD and LOQ results permitting, endogenous salivary E2 from the early follicular phase and pre-ovulatory phase of the menstrual cycle will be analyzed using the uHPLC-PDA-MS/MS. Resulting spectra will be compared to determine if the method developed can accurately detect differences in salivary E2 levels between early follicular and pre-ovulatory samples. Successfully determining salivary E2 pattern changes throughout the menstrual cycle could establish saliva as a practical, non-invasive alternative to blood sampling for hormone monitoring. This advancement holds significant potential for improving diagnostic accessibility and expanding clinical and research applications in reproductive health.