What is the difference between protein bound water soluble hormones and fat soluble hormone?
The difference lies in the different levels of activity of the hormone. For a hormone to be biologically active it needs to be fat-soluble so that it can pass into the tissues. The hormone in the protein bound water-soluble form, which is transported in solution in the serum, is the form in which it is produced by the endocrine gland. In its protein bound state only about 9% of the hormone is biologically active. Fat-soluble hormones that are transported on the fatty membranes of the red blood cells are 99% biologically active and pass readily and proportionately into the saliva where it can be measured. Saliva testing gives a more direct measurement of the amount of biologically available hormone than blood testing. Is there any time when one test is more useful than the other? The saliva tests are more useful than blood tests if you need to check that you are absorbing a trans-dermal hormone. Trans-dermal means that the hormone is absorbed through the skin – through the use of a horm
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