Recent Advance in Cortisol Immunosensing Technologies and Devices

Abstract

Well known as the “stress hormone”, cortisol plays an indispensable role in life activities. In the past few decades, accurate information about the intracorporal level of cortisol has been proven to be an important and effective indicator for evaluating physical and mental states and diagnosing a series of pressure-induced diseases. Hence, various rapid and efficient cortisol sensing technologies with high sensitivity and selectivity and low detection limit have been developed. This review examines most recent works and progress in cortisol detection via immunoassay, highlighting the construction of sensitive sensor systems. We aimed to provide a comprehensive description in the aspects of general optical and electrochemical detection methods, novel immunosensing systems, and advanced portable and wearable devices. Outlooks and suggestions for the development of continuous and real-time monitoring techniques and devices were finally provided.