Hormonal parameters of saliva and blood of participants of the 21-day Arctic marine expedition

Introduction. It is relevant to study the adaptive changes among the participants of the Arctic marine expedition, which allow for a certain period of time to maintain a stable working capacity necessary to perform various professional tasks.

The study aims to identify the dynamics of hormonal parameters in saliva and blood serum samples of the expedition group members who temporarily come to work in the extreme conditions of the Arctic.

Materials and methods. Scientists examined 40 participants of the expedition of the Arctic Floating University: 24 women and 16 men aged from 19 to 56 years (the average age is 26 years). They collected saliva in the morning and evening at the beginning, middle and end of the 21-day route. Specialists performed blood sampling in the morning on an empty stomach at the beginning and at the end of the expedition. The levels of cortisol, dehydroepiandrosterone and testosterone were determined by enzyme immunoassay.

Results. The concentration of morning salivary cortisol is maximum at the beginning of the route for both men (32.2 nmol/l) and women (31.8 nmol/l), then it decreases significantly by the end of the expedition (8.2 and 8.7 nmol/l, respectively). The reverse dynamics is shown for evening cortisol levels: the maximum values at the end of the route compared with the beginning in men (6.6 versus 1.4 nmol/l) and women (5.5 versus 1.7 nmol/l). The content of morning and evening dehydroepiandrosterone is maximal in women at the beginning of the expedition, then decreases by the end of the route (1.52 and 0.91 nmol/l for morning concentrations, p<0.0001; 0.35 and 0.21 nmol/l for evening concentrations, p=0.013), while it does not significantly change in men. Testosterone levels increase in the middle of the route, more significantly in women (0.26 versus 0.05 nmol/l, p<0.0001). The content of serum hormone concentrations does not significantly change except for the level of dehydroepiandrosterone in men, whose level decreases by the end of the route (47.6 versus 65.4 nmol/l, p=0.038).

Limitations. Most of the participants did not have the opportunity to measure the background values of the indicators before the route, which, of course, would have been of great value.

Conclusion. The hormone content in saliva, rather than in serum, is an informative indicator reflecting hormonal changes in the body of participants in the Arctic expedition associated with the presence of acute stress caused by natural factors and specific working conditions. An increase in evening cortisol and testosterone levels indicates a violation of their circadian dynamics and the possible development of desynchronosis in the expedition members by the end of the route. An increase in dehydroepiandrosterone at the beginning of the expedition and testosterone from the middle of the route may indicate their adaptive and neuroprotective role under the influence of a complex of stressful conditions of the expedition and increased mental stress.

Ethics. The study was conducted in compliance with Ethical standards (Minutes No. 2 of the meeting of the Ethics Committee of the N. Laverov Federal Center for Integrated Arctic Research of the Ural Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences dated 06.06.2024).

For citation: Elfimova A.E., Patyavina O.I., Zyabisheva V.N., Tipisova E.V. Hormonal parameters of saliva and blood of participants of the 21-day Arctic marine expedition. Med. truda i prom. ekol. 2025; 65(3): 132–141. https://elibrary.ru/zmsujf https://doi.org/10.31089/1026-9428-2025-65-3-132-141

Contributions:
Elfimova A.E. — concept and design of research, collection and processing of material, writing, editing;
Patyavina O.I. — collection and processing of material, statistical data processing;
Zyabisheva V.N. — material processing, text writing;
Tipisova E.V. — research concept and design, editing.

Gratitude. The authors express thanks to the Arctic Floating University project and the participants of this study, without whom it would not have taken place.

Funding. The study was conducted with the financial support of project No. 124052300054-6 under the Agreement of the Ministry of Economic Industry and Science of JSC No. 8 dated 04/17/2024.

Conflict of interest. The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Received: 03.05.2025 / Accepted: 19.03.2025 / Published: 07.04.2025

1. Van der Meij L., Gubbels N., Schaveling J., Almela M., van Vugt M. Hair cortisol and work stress: Importance of workload and stress model (JDCS or ERI). Psychoneuroendocrinology. 2018; 89: 78–85. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psyneuen.2017.12.020

2. Klinge C.M., Clark B.J., Prough R.A. Dehydroepiandrosterone research: past, current, and future. Vitam. Horm. 2018; 108: 1–28. https://doi.org/10.1016/bs.vh.2018.02.002

3. Tyuzikov I.A. Dehydroepiandrosterone in Men: a Potential Physiological Effects from the Standpoint of Evidence-Based Medicine. Effektivnaya farmakoterapiya. 2020; 16(20): 44–51. https://elibrary.ru/cfsphp (in Russian)

4. Kamin H.S., Kertes D.A. Cortisol and DHEA in development and psychopathology. Horm. Behav. 2017; 89: 69–85. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.yhbeh.2016.11.018

5. Dutheil F., de Saint Vincent S., Pereira B., Schmidt J., Moustafa F., Charkhabi M. et al. DHEA as a Biomarker of Stress: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Front. Psychiatry. 2021; 12: 688367. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2021.688367

6. Kutlikova H.H., Babková Durdiaková J., Wagner B., Vlček M., Eisenegger Ch., Lamm C. et al. The effects of testosterone on the physiological response to social and somatic stressors. Psychoneuroendocrinology. 2020; 117: 104693. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psyneuen.2020.104693

7. Zasimova E.Z., Golderova A.S., Kolosova O.N. Metabolic predictors characterizing the stress of the adaptive systems of the body of the fleet personnel during a long voyage. International Journal of Medicine and Psychology. 2024; 7(1): 134–146. https://elibrary.ru/otfmoh (in Russian).

8. Eremenko V.V., Abushkevich V.G., Abushkevich T.N., Potyagailo E.G. Correlation between the level of stress resistance and testosterone concentration in a healthy males blood. Kubanskiy nauchnyy meditsinskiy vestnik. 2014; (6): 29–33 https://elibrary.ru/tgkyjl (in Russian).

9. Bozovic D., Racic M., Ivkovic N. Salivary cortisol levels as a biological marker of stress reaction. Med Arch. 2013; 67(5): 374–7. https://doi.org/10.5455/medarh.2013.67.374-377

10. Papacosta E., Nassis G.P. Saliva as a tool for monitoring steroid, peptide and immune markers in sport and exercise science. J Sci Med Sport. 2011; 14(5): 424–34. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsams.2011.03.004

11. Izawa S., Sugaya N., Shirotsuki K., Yamada K.C., Ogawa N., Ouchi Y. et al. Salivary dehydroepiandrosterone secretion in response to acute psychosocial stress and its correlations with biological and psychological changes. Biol Psychol. 2008; 79(3): 294-8. http://doi.org/10.1016/j.biopsycho.2008.07.003

12. Lennartsson A.K., Kushnir M.M., Bergquist J., Jonsdottir I.H. DHEA and DHEA-S response to acute psychosocial stress in healthy men and women. Biol Psychol. 2012; 90(2): 143–9. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biopsycho.2012.03.003

13. Crewther B.T., Lowe T.E., Ingram J., Weatherby R.P. Validating the salivary testosterone and cortisol concentration measures in response to short high-intensity exercise. J. Sports Med. Phys. Fitness. 2010; 50(1): 85–92. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20308978/

14. Roma P.G., Beckner M.E., Mehta S.K., Nindl B.C., Crucian B.E. Salivary Bioscience in Military, Space, and Operational Research. In: Granger D., Taylor M., eds. Salivary Bioscience. Springer, Cham; 2020: 585–610. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-35784-9_24

15. Vlasenko N.Y., Vlasenko M.A. Features of the Circadian Rhythm of Human Cortisol in Forced Sleep Deprivation. Izvestiya Irkutskogo gosudarstvennogo universiteta. Seriya: Biologiya. Ekologiya. 2019; 30: 105–115. https://doi.org/10.26516/2073-3372.2019.30.105 (in Russian).

16. Sapolsky R.M. Romero L.M., Munck A.U. How do glucocorticoids influence stress responses? Integrating permissive, suppressive, stimulatory, and preparative action. Endocr. Rev. 2000; 21(1): 55–89. https://doi.org/10.1210/edrv.21.1.0389

17. Anisimov V.N. Light desynchronosis and health. Svetotekhnika. 2019; 1: 30–38. https://elibrary.ru/yxuwlz (in Russian).

18. Bochkarev M.V., Korostovtseva L.S., Kolomeychuk S.N., Petrashova D.A., Shalamova E.Y., Ragozin O.N., Sviryaev Y.V. The role of sleep and sleep-wake rhythm changes in the Arctic adaptation. Vestn. Ural. Med. Akad. Nauki. 2019; 16(2): 86–95. https://elibrary.ru/zgojrv (in Russian).

19. Aleksanin S.S., Rybnikov V.Yu., Sannikov M.V. Comprehensive assessment of health status and disease prevention of rescuers of the Russian Emergencies Ministry working in unfavorable conditions of the Arctic. SPb.: IPTs «Izmaylovskiy»; 2022 https://elibrary.ru/qgbyaj (in Russian).

20. Traish A.M., Kang H.P., Saad F., Guay A.T. Dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) — a precursor steroid or an active hormone in human physiology. J. Sex. Med. 2011; 8(11): 2960–2982. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1743-6109.2011.02523.x

21. Korneeva Y., Simonova N. Job Stress and Working Capacity among Fly-In-Fly-Out Workers in the Oil and Gas Extraction Industries in the Arctic. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health. 2020; 17(21): 7759. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17217759

22. Poskotinova L.V., Demin D.B., Kubasov R.V., Zolkina A.N., Vylegzhanina A.V., Tipisova E.V. Cardiovascular regulation and salivary testosterone/cortisol ratio during exercise in adolescent boys. Nauchnye trudy I s"ezda fiziologov SNG. Tom 2. Sochi-Dagomys: ZAO «Izdatel'stvo «Meditsina-Zdorov'e», 2005: 194. https://elibrary.ru/sygamt (in Russian).