Trusso Sfrazzetto Giuseppe, Santonocito Rossella
Department of Chemical Sciences, University of Catania, Viale A. Doria 6, 95100 Catania, Italy.
National Interuniversity Consortium for Materials Sciences and Technology (I.N.S.T.M.), Research Unit of Catania, 95100 Catania, Italy.
Nanomaterials (Basel). 2022 Oct 27;12(21):3790. doi: 10.3390/nano12213790.
Space represents one of the most dangerous environments for humans, which can be affected by high stress levels. This can lead to severe physiological problems, such as headaches, gastrointestinal disorders, anxiety, hypertension, depression, and coronary heart diseases. During a stress condition, the human body produces specific hormones, such as dopamine, adrenaline, noradrenaline, and cortisol. In particular, the control of cortisol levels can be related to the stress level of an astronaut, particularly during a long-term space mission. The common analytical methods (HPLC, GC-MS) cannot be used in an extreme environment, such as a space station, due to the steric hindrance of the instruments and the absence of gravity. For these reasons, the development of smart sensing devices with a and fast analytical protocol can be extremely useful for space applications. This review summarizes the recent (from 2011) miniaturized sensoristic devices based on nanomaterials (gold and carbon nanoparticles, nanotubes, nanowires, nano-electrodes), which allow rapid and real-time analyses of cortisol levels in biological samples (such as saliva, urine, sweat, and plasma), to monitor the health conditions of humans under extreme stress conditions.
太空是对人类来说最危险的环境之一，可能会受到高压力水平的影响。这可能导致严重的生理问题，如头痛、胃肠道紊乱、焦虑、高血压、抑郁和冠心病。在压力状态下，人体会产生特定的激素，如多巴胺、肾上腺素、去甲肾上腺素和皮质醇。特别是，皮质醇水平的控制可能与宇航员的压力水平有关，尤其是在长期太空任务期间。由于仪器的空间位阻和缺乏重力，常见的分析方法（高效液相色谱法、气相色谱-质谱联用仪）无法在诸如空间站这样的极端环境中使用。出于这些原因，开发具有便捷且快速分析方案的智能传感设备对太空应用可能极为有用。本综述总结了近期（从2011年起）基于纳米材料（金和碳纳米颗粒、纳米管、纳米线、纳米电极）的小型化传感设备，这些设备能够对生物样品（如唾液、尿液、汗液和血浆）中的皮质醇水平进行快速实时分析，以监测处于极端压力条件下的人类的健康状况。
