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Updated: Mar 9, 2026

Collecting Saliva and Measuring Salivary Cortisol and Alpha-amylase in Frail Community Residing Older Adults via Family Caregivers
Published on: December 18, 2013
Salivary protein changes in response to acute stress in medical residents performing advanced clinical simulations: a
Rachel K Marvin1, Muncharie B Saepoo2, Simiao Ye3
1a Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry , University of Toledo , Toledo , OH , USA.
Context:
Quantitative changes of salivary proteins due to acute stress were detected.
Objective:
To explore protein markers of stress in saliva of eight medical residents who performed emergency medicine simulations.
Materials And Methods:
Saliva was collected before the simulations, after the simulations, and following morning upon waking. Proteins were separated by sodium dodecyl sulphate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE), identified by mass spectrometry (MS), and relatively quantified by densitometry.
Results:
Salivary alpha-amylase and S-type cystatins significantly increased, while the ∼26 kDa and low-molecular weight (MW) (<10 kDa) SDS-PAGE bands exhibited changes after stress.
Discussion And Conclusion:
Alpha-amylase and cystatins are potential salivary markers of acute stress, but further validation should be performed using larger sample populations.
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