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. 2022 Jul 31;64(4):621–639. doi: 10.5187/jast.2022.e38

Table 3. Properties of fluid biomatrices with regard to measurement of cortisol and corticosterone.

Properties Fluid biomatrix
Blood Saliva Urine Milk
Invasiveness of sampling High [57,66], painful Low [66], painless Low [66], painless Low [67], painless
Risk of contamination from external sources Low High [66] High Low
Training required for sampling Yes [57,66] No No [66] No
Possibility of repeated sampling Yes Yes [68] Yes Yes
Ethical and legal licenses required Yes Yes Yes No
Biosecurity concerns Yes Yes Yes Yes
Results depend on time of sampling Yes Yes [68] Yes Yes
Results depend on sampling location Yes No No No
Steroid medications may confound results Yes Yes [68] Yes Yes
Sampling requires live animals Yes Yes Yes Yes
Sample preparation is laborious and time consuming Yes Yes Yes Yes
Storage conditions Refrigerator, freezer [69] Refrigerator, freezer Refrigerator, freezer Refrigerator, freezer [70]
Time range represented by biomarker measurement Single point, hour Single point, hour 12–24 h 8–12 h
Biomarker forms represented Bound, unbound [66] Unbound [66] Unbound Bound, unbound
Sampling procedure may confound results Possibly Possibly No No
Stress type Acute [71] Acute [71] Acute [71] Acute [70]
Analytical cost Relatively expensive Relatively expensive [72] Relatively expensive Relatively expensive