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Advan. Physiol. Edu. 31: 110-115, 2007; doi:10.1152/advan.00058.2006
1043-4046/07 $8.00
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ADV PHYSIOL EDUC 31:110-115, 2007
© 2007 American Physiological Society

TEACHING IN THE LABORATORY

A laboratory exercise to illustrate increased salivary cortisol in response to three stressful conditions using competitive ELISA

Mark F. Haussmann, Carol M. Vleck and Eugenia S. Farrar

Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Organismal Biology, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa

Address for other correspondence and present address of M. Haussmann: Dept. of Biology, Kenyon College, Gambier, OH 43022 (e-mail: haussmannm{at}kenyon.edu)

Perceived stress activates the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal axis, resulting in the release of glucocorticoids into the systemic circulation. Glucocorticoids cause the elevation of blood glucose, providing the necessary energy for the organism to cope with stress. Here, we outline a laboratory exercise that uses a competitive ELISA kit to illustrate the response of salivary cortisol concentrations to three stressful conditions. Twelve undergraduate students in the General and Comparative Endocrinology course at Iowa State University were subjected to presentation stress, fasting stress, and competition stress to determine their effect on salivary cortisol concentrations. Students had elevated salivary cortisol in response to each of these stresses compared with basal conditions. These results reiterate the importance of glucocorticoids as mediators of the stress response. This study also incorporates the use of the ELISA technique, a modern laboratory tool used to determine the amount of endogenous antigens in plasma or saliva. This laboratory exercise can easily be adapted to fit into already existing physiology and endocrinology curriculums.

Key words: endocrinology; stress response; glucocorticoid






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