Cortisol saliva ELISA

Cortisol is a steroid hormone released from the
adrenal cortex in response to a hormone called ACTH
(produced by the pituitary gland), it is involved in the
response to stress; it increases blood pressure, blood
sugar levels, may cause infertility in women, and
suppresses the immune system. Cortisol acts through specific intracellular receptors
and has effects in numerous physiologic systems,
including immune function, glucose-counter
regulation, vascular tone, substrate utilization and
bone metabolism. Cortisol is excreted primarily in
urine in an unbound (free) form.
The majority of cortisol in saliva is not-bound and
enters the saliva via intracellular mechanisms.
Salivary cortisol levels are unaffected by salivary flow
rate or salivary enzymes.
It is a high correlations between serum and saliva
cortisol levels
These normal endogenous functions are the basis
for the physiological consequences of chronic stress - prolonged cortisol secretion causes muscle wastage,
hyperglycaemia, and suppresses immune/
inflammatory responses. The same consequences
arise from long-term use of glucocorticoid drugs.