Session: Current Topics in Biological Chemistry:

This study aims to better understand the etiology of prostate cancer in men of African ancestry. While incidence and mortality of prostate cancer have decreased in the US in recent decades, men of African descent are disproportionately affected. This work examines hormone levels in saliva samples and demographic data of men in different socioeconomic environments to better understand their possible link to prostate cancer onset and progression. Using ELISA kits specific to either testosterone or cortisol, hormone levels were determined for each individual’s saliva using standards and low and high quality control samples for validation. The saliva samples collected from individuals living in African countries (n=21) had a mean testosterone concentration of 93.43 pg/mL and standard deviation of 35.924 pg/mL, while the mean cortisol concentration was 0.120 mg/dL, and the standard deviation was 0.078 mg/dL. The saliva samples collected from individuals with African ancestry in the United States (n=84) had a mean testosterone concentration of 94.680 pg/mL with a standard deviation of 35.218 pg/mL, while the mean cortisol concentration was found to be 0.136 mg/dL with a standard deviation of 0.101 mg/dL. This study will also include comparison of dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) and estradiol concentrations between these groups as well as observed socioeconomic effects on hormone levels.

Wathsala Medawala

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