School of Chemical Engineering, Sungkyunkwan University (SKKU), Suwon, 16419, Republic of Korea.
Department of Electronic Engineering, Hanyang University, Seoul, 04763, Republic of Korea.
Adv Mater. 2024 Jan;36(1):e2211595. doi: 10.1002/adma.202211595. Epub 2023 Nov 20.
Cortisol is a steroid hormone that is released from the body in response to stress. Although a moderate level of cortisol secretion can help the body maintain homeostasis, excessive secretion can cause various diseases, such as depression and anxiety. Conventional methods for cortisol measurement undergo procedures that limit continuous monitoring, typically collecting samples of bodily fluids, followed by separate analysis in a laboratory setting that takes several hours. Thus, recent studies demonstrate wearable, miniaturized sensors integrated with electronic modules that enable wireless real-time analysis. Here, the primary focus is on wearable and implantable electronic devices that continuously measure cortisol concentration. Diverse types of cortisol-sensing techniques, such as antibody-, DNA-aptamer-, and molecularly imprinted polymer-based sensors, as well as wearable and implantable devices that aim to continuously monitor cortisol in a minimally invasive fashion are discussed. In addition to the cortisol monitors that directly measure stress levels, other schemes that indirectly measure stress, such as electrophysiological signals and sweat are also summarized. Finally, the challenges and future directions in stress monitoring and management electronics are reviewed.
皮质醇是一种甾体激素，在受到压力时从体内释放出来。虽然适度的皮质醇分泌可以帮助身体维持内稳态，但过量的分泌会导致各种疾病，如抑郁和焦虑。传统的皮质醇测量方法需要进行一些程序，这些程序限制了连续监测，通常需要采集体液样本，然后在实验室环境中进行单独分析，这需要几个小时。因此，最近的研究展示了可穿戴的、微型化的传感器与电子模块集成，可以实现无线实时分析。这里主要关注的是可穿戴和可植入的电子设备，这些设备可以连续测量皮质醇浓度。讨论了多种类型的皮质醇传感技术，如基于抗体、DNA 适体和分子印迹聚合物的传感器，以及旨在以微创方式连续监测皮质醇的可穿戴和可植入设备。除了直接测量压力水平的皮质醇监测器，还总结了其他以间接方式测量压力的方案，如电生理信号和汗液。最后，回顾了压力监测和管理电子学中的挑战和未来方向。
