Steroid analysis by micellar electrokinetic capillary chromatography.

From the clinical perspective, steroids have always held a great deal of interest, since they are highly specific in their function. They do not have a general or systemic effect, but instead regulate specific physiological functions, such as sex differentiation, fetus implantation and growth, electrolyte balance, menstrual cycles, and muscle and bone development. Many disorders have been identified as being caused by under- or oversecretion of steroids, i.e., Addison's disease, Cushing's syndrome, hirsutism and virilism, adenomas, congenital adrenal hyperplasia, acromegaly, Liddle's syndrome, hypertension, and so on (1). Diseases resulting from steroid imbalance usually result from the cumulative effect of one or more steroids. To get a better understanding of the patho-physiology resulting from steroid imbalances, the measurement of a profile of steroids is potentially more beneficial than measuring a single steroid. Fiet et al. (2), who used a profile of eight steroids to gain a better understanding of hirsutism and acne in women, demonstrated a good example of this type of study.