Mapping Hair Cortisol Concentrations Across Body Sites to Study Health Disparities

Abstract

Perceived discrimination, poverty, and environmental stress stimulates the release of cortisol, the primary stress hormone, through the hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal (HPA) axis. Chronic stress, a long‐term form of stress, increases the risk of various diseases, including; diabetes, hypertension, and inflammatory and autoimmune disorders among all populations. Unfortunately, ethnic minorities experience higher levels of chronic stress, and bear the burden of health disparities. Hair cortisol is a retrospective biological marker for cortisol exposure and can be used as an integrated measure of long‐term HPA activity and chronic stress. However, studies that use hair from the scalp may face collection challenges due to the symbolic and spiritual meaning that is carried by locks of hair among populations particularly affected by health disparities. Therefore, identifying alternatives for the measurement of chronic cortisol exposure would enable inclusion of diverse population in health disparities research. The purpose of this study is to determine if hair across body sites can be used for cortisol analysis to investigate chronic stress among populations affected by health disparities. I hypothesized that hair from arms, legs, and pelvic area will be correlated to scalp hair cortisol levels, and could be used to assess chronic cortisol levels. In this study, participants were asked to provide hair samples from the following four regions of the body; the scalp, arms, legs, and pelvic region. Hair samples were processed, and cortisol was extracted using the established methanol method. Cortisol was quantified using an Enzyme‐Linked Immunosorbent Assay. A total of eight participants were recruited, five females and three males. Participants represented 4 different ethnic groups and were of recruited from a University. 25% of participants provided samples from all four hair sites, while 62.5% provided all but pubic hair. Average cortisol levels ranged from 236 pg/ml in the scalp to 1020 pg/ml in the legs. Linear correlation analysis was conducted to determine the relationship between hair cortisol concentration (HCC) from the scalp and other areas of the body. Our preliminary analysis shows trends suggesting that arm and leg hair may be culturally appropriate samples for hair cortisol analysis. In conclusion, this study revealed cortisol levels across body hair sites, and highlights the need to incorporate culturally acceptable biomarkers to address and eliminate health disparities.Support or Funding InformationCCSF/SMCCD/SFSU BRIDGES TO THE BACCALAUREATE PROGRAM: R25 GM050078SFSU SF BUILD: ENABLING STUDENTS TO REPRESENT IN SCIENCE‐ TL4 GM118986This abstract is from the Experimental Biology 2018 Meeting. There is no full text article associated with this abstract published in The FASEB Journal.