Salivary cortisol and α-amylase: subclinical indicators of stress as cardiometabolic risk

Abstract

Currently, the potential for cardiovascular (CV) stress-induced risk is primarily based on the theoretical (obvious) side effects of stress on the CV system. Salivary cortisol and α-amylase, produced respectively by the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis and the sympathetic-adrenomedullary (SAM) system during stress response, are still not included in the routine evaluation of CV risk and require additional and definitive validation. Therefore, this article overviews studies published between 2010 and 2015, in which salivary cortisol and α-amylase were measured as stress biomarkers to examine their associations with CV/CMR (cardiometabolic risk) clinical and subclinical indicators. A comprehensive search of PubMed, Web of Science and Scopus electronic databases was performed, and 54 key articles related to the use of salivary cortisol and α-amylase as subclinical indicators of stress and CV/CMR factors, including studies that emphasized methodological biases that could influence the accuracy of study outcomes, were ultimately identified. Overall, the biological impact of stress measured by salivary cortisol and α-amylase was associated with CV/CMR factors. Results supported the use of salivary cortisol and α-amylase as potential diagnostic tools for detecting stress-induced cardiac diseases and especially to describe the mechanisms by which stress potentially contributes to the pathogenesis and outcomes of CV diseases.

The Effect of Thermal Comfort on Stress in Female High School Students

“…Increasing secretion of saliva from stimulation of the sympathetic nervous system by salivary glands is a response to stress (10,11). The present study showed that sAA was significantly increased in undesirable thermal comfort (PMV > +0.5).…”

“…Signals are sent to the autonomic nervous system by the cerebral cortex in the presence of stress (9). Also, increase in saliva secretion and sAA occurs when preganglionic nerves of the sympathetic nervous system send signals to epithelial acinar cells in the salivary gland (10,11). Stress hormones, like cortisol and alpha-amylase, are released in the urine, blood, and saliva, with sAA being a non-invasive method for stress measurement among other methods (12,13).…”

Association between shift work, salivary cortisol levels, stress and fatigue in nurses: integrative review

“…The absence of control over those variables diminishes the power of statistical analysis and relations may not be duly identified. 33,40 One of the greatest problems regarding saliva collection by the participants themselves is related to obtaining reliable samples, specially if they are obtained during the first hour upon awakening. During that time, cortisol levels vary extremely fast, so the adherence of participants to sample collection protocol becomes a determining factor for obtaining valid results.…”

The Role of Hypercortisolemia in Ischemic Heart Disease Based on Comorbidity

“…Необхідно відмітити, що об'єктом вивчення нейроендокринних змін в організмі при стресі були в основному тварини [4,9]. Особливості ендокрин-них реакцій на тривалий стрес, зокрема на хроніч-ну гіпоксію, у людини вивчені недостатньо.…”

“…З цим пов'язано чима-ло можливих патологічних реакцій: симпато-адреналова активація зі схильністю до вазоконст-рикції, зниженню варіабельності серцевого ритму, гіперактивації та гіперагрегації тромбоцитів, підви-щенням частоти серцевих скорочень, артеріальної гіпертензії, підвищенням С-реактивного білку і про-запальних цитокінів -інтерлейкіну-1 та інтерлейкі-ну-6 [2,7]. Підвищений рівень кортизолу також сприяє розвитку та прогресуванню атеросклероти-чних процесів [9]. Через ці механізми стрес може провокувати серцево-судинні захворювання.…”