Low Ratio of Androstenedione to Testosterone in Plasma and Saliva of Hirsute Women

To gain insight into the passage of androstenedione (A4) through the salivary gland, we measured concentrations of plasma total (TA.), free (FA4), and salivary (SA4) androstenedione during administration of dexametha-sone and synthetic corticotropin to control subjects and hirsute women and compared these data with plasma total (TT), free (Fr), and salivary testosterone (ST) con-centrations. TA4 and FA4 were significantly lower in control subjects throughout (0, 15, 45, and 75 mm) (P <0.05). SA4 in control subjects was significantly lower only in the follicular phase at 0 and 15 mm. There was no significant difference between the increments in SA4 in response to corticotropin.The concentration of SA., in the controlwomen at 0 mm was not significantlydifferent from the concentration of FA4. At 45 and 75 mm after corti