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Progressive Increase in Nonsex Hormone-Binding Globulin-Bound Testosterone and Estradiol From Infancy to Late Prepuberty in Girls^*

Centro de Investigaciones Endocrinologicas, Hospital de Ninos Buenos Aires, Argentina

Address requests for reprints to: A. Belgorosky, Department of Investigacion, Hospital de Pediatria Garrahan, Pozos 1881, 1245 Buenos Aires, Argentina.

We previously reported that serum sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG) decreases and serum non-SHBG-bound testosterone (T) increases with age in normal prepubertal boys from infancy to late prepuberty. In this study we measured serum SHBG, T, estradiol (E²), and dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DS), and we calculated serum non-SHBGbound T and E² and free T and E² in 22 normal prepubertal girls, aged 1–9.4 yr. The girls were divided into 3 groups of different ages: group A, 1.7 ± 1.0 (mean ± SE) yr; group B, 4.6 ± 0.8 yr; and group C, 7.3 ± 0.8 yr. In group C, mean serum SHBG level was lower, and serum T, non-SHBG-bound T, free T, DS, total E², non-SHBG-bound E², and free E² were higher than in group A or B. Furthermore, a negative correlation was found between serum SHBG and age [y(nmol/L) = 144 — 9.07 x (yr); r = 0.57; P < 0.001], while positive correlations were found between non-SHBG-bound T and age [y(nmol/L = 0.043 + 0.023 x (yr); r = 0.68; P < 0.001], non-SHBG-bound E² and age [y(pmol/L) = 0.69 + 2.82 x (yr); r = 0.6; P < 0.001], and DS and age [y(nmol/L) = 25.2 + 63.8 x (yr); r = 0.59, P < 0.001]. In a group of 19 normal age-matched prepubertal boys, we also found a significant correlation between non-SHBG-bound E² and age. Since non-SHBG-bound sex hormone levels are good indicators of tissue available sex hormones, we conclude that in prepubertal girls, there is a progressive increase in the exposure of peripheral tissues to T and E² with advancing age. Since sex hormones enhance tissue maturation, these increments might play a role in the somatic and psychic development of girls before the onset of the clinical signs of puberty.

^* This work was supported by Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Cientificas y Tecnicas of Argentina.

Received October 23, 1987.

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