C-reactive protein in saliva and dried blood spot as markers of stress reactivity in healthy African–Americans

Abstract

Aim: Noninvasive assessments of C-reactive protein (CRP) in stress contexts have seldom been compared. This study evaluated CRP response to acute social stress as measured in saliva and dried blood spot (DBS). Materials & methods: African–Americans (N = 118; mean age = 32 years) participated in a laboratory-based social-evaluative stressor task. Six saliva samples taken before, during and after were assayed for salivary CRP. DBS measurements of CRP were taken alongside saliva at the first and last collection. Results: Salivary and DBS CRP were modestly positively associated with one another at baseline, and only salivary CRP increased in response to the stressor task. Conclusion: Noninvasive measures of CRP reactivity may be only moderately related to one another in stress reactivity contexts.