Some steps in the development of an immunochromatographic test to quantify cortisol in human salivary fluid

Abstract

Stressful states of the body are accompanied by a hormonal response, including an increase in the level of the hormone cortisol. Due to the fact that cortisol is contained in many biological fluids of the human body, as well as accumulates in some tissues, researchers are attracted to the possibility of determining cortisol by point-of-care methods, which include immunochromatographic analysis. This paper discusses some important practical nuances that need to be taken into account when creating a test strip for detecting cortisol, for example, in human salivary fluid. Keywords: cortisol, gold nanoparticles, stress, saliva, lateral flow immunoassay, test strips. 1. INTRODUCTION