Abstract
Enzyme immunoassays for testosterone, 17β-estradiol, and progesterone were validated
for human facial and axillary perspiration and compared to levels in urine. In study
1, these assays were applied to samples from preadolescent girls and boys and young
women and men. Men's axillary perspiration contained substantially higher levels of
steroids than seen in other substrates from men or in any sample from women, boys,
and girls. Male axillary steroid levels were very variable across individuals, and
on average they exceeded levels in facial perspiration by 90-fold for testosterone
and 45-fold for estradiol. Men's urinary testosterone also exceeded urinary levels
of the other subjects. In study 2, axillary perspiration, urine, and saliva were collected
from young men. Substantial axillary levels of testosterone and estradiol were again
observed. Correlations of the same hormone among the different substrates were generally
very low, except for a small correlation between estradiol levels measured in axillary
perspiration and urine in study 2. High unconjugated steroid content in men's axillary
excretions could, if absorbed by women during intimacy, be implicated in pheromonal
activity.
Key words
perspiration - axillary - urine - testosterone - 17β-estradiol - progesterone - pheromones
References
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Correspondence
cmuir@brocku.ca
