The miniature sensor allows for a very precise analysis of saliva, thanks to which it is easy to detect an increased concentration of the stress hormone in it. This type of test, which takes only 40 minutes, will facilitate the diagnosis of serious stress-related diseases, reports Analyst.
Prolonged stress can cause very serious health problems in humans, including chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). One way to diagnose stress-related illness is to determine the concentration of the stress hormone cortisol in your blood or other body fluids.
Currently, there are many methods that make it possible to test the concentration of the stress hormone, but some of them require expensive analytical equipment or long-term, costly and labor-intensive preparation of the sample for testing.
Scientists from the University of South Florida (USA) have built a new miniature analytical device that allows to determine the concentration of cortisol in the patient’s saliva. Moreover, the scientists obtained valuable results by analyzing samples of saliva that had not been processed and prepared for research in any way.
The microanalyzer was built of a silicon wafer, on the surface of which a series of parallel arranged gold electrodes were created using modern lithographic techniques. Then, appropriately prepared antibodies were deposited on the surface of the electrodes. The role of the antibodies in this case was to specifically bind to the stress hormone contained in the saliva.
Testing with a newly developed stress hormone sensor is based on measuring electrical changes in the system (resistance). When the analyzed sample – spotted on the sensor – contains substances (cortisol) that bind specifically with antibodies, the surface of the electrodes changes. Antibodies together with cortisol form a highly insulating layer that changes the electrical properties of the detector. These changes are proportional to the concentration of the stress hormone contained in the tested saliva sample. Due to this simple relationship, with the help of the new microanalyzer it is possible to very accurately determine the amount of the stress hormone in the patient’s body in a short time and at a low cost.
According to the authors of the discovery, the new miniature analytical device will certainly contribute to better diagnosis of stress-related diseases and disorders, enabling faster and more effective treatment. (PAP)