column for their separation. Lower limit of quantification (LLOQ) ranged from 2 to 20 ng/mL, witha ccuracy (bias) ranging from -18.7% to 19.9%, and precision (percentage coefficient of variation %CV) ranging from 4.0% to 18.6%. Matrix effects remained within the ideal range <±15% for all steroids. Recovery ranged from 76% to 103%, and intra- and inter-assay imprecision (CV) ranged from 0.8% to 14.9%. In 40 healthy volunteers, most analytes were detected above the LLOQ in over 95% of samples, although tetrahydro-aldosterone (85%), 5-pregenediol (68%), and pregnanetriol-one (59%) demonstrated lower quantification rates. Diurnal and sex-based variations were observed, with excretion levels significantly higher during daytime and in males. This robust, high-throughput LC-MS/MS method facilitates the simultaneous quantification of multiple steroid classes, enhancing its utility for clinical and research applications in endocrine science.
Bain et al. (Thu,) studied this question.