The binding of sex steroids in human maternal and fetal blood at different stages of gestation

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Abstract

The concentrations of the steroid binding proteins albumin, α1-acid glycoprotein (AAG) and steroid-binding β-globulin (SBβG) have been measured in human fetal and maternal serum at mid pregnancy and term using highly specific immunochemical methods. AAG appears to be relatively unimportant as a sex steroid binding protein in fetal serum, while albumin probably serves as a low affinity, high capacity carrier of such steroids throughout much of fetal life and also in the maternal serum. SBβG levels in maternal serum are approximately twenty times greater than the levels of testosterone plus oestradiol-17β. In the fetus, SBβG levels are much nearer to the combined concentration of the ligands, testosterone and oestradiol-17β, and at term the levels of ligand and SBβG are almost the same. Steady-state electrophoretic studies of fetal and maternal serum have failed to demonstrate any additional oestrogen or androgen binding proteins.

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