SALIVA COLLECTION WITH SALIVETTES(R) - IS A SYMPATHETIC STIMULUS

Saliva collection with salivettes(R) for determination of salivary cor tisol and other components is a commonly used technique that is quick and hygienic. The goal of the present study was to determine whether c hewing of the cotton swab of salivettes(R) is a sympathetic stimulus a nd, if yes, whether this stimulus is strong enough to affect salivary cortisol. We found that chewing a cotton swab caused acute transient s ympathetic reflex responses (increases in heart rate, respiration freq uency and skin conductance; decreases in finger tip microcirculation m easured with laser Doppler flowmetry, photoplethysmography and skin te mperature). Similar effects were noted by chewing chewing gum. However , the salivary cortisol concentration was not affected by the chewing procedure. We conclude that the sympathetic stimulus caused by chewing a cotton swab for saliva collection was strong but did not influence the level of salivary cortisol. We hypothesize that it is possible to investigate responses of the autonomic nervous system associated with regulatory mechanisms which do not necessarily involve the entire hypo thalamus-pituitary-adrenal axis. An unplanned observation was that in a volunteer who accidentally fainted before the measurements, salivary cortisol levels reached values of up to 85.6 nmol/l, about 10 times h igher values than under normal conditions measured the next day.