title: Salivary Nitric Oxide, a Biomarker for Stress and Anxiety?
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate if salivary nitrate correlates to the daily psychological stress and anxiety in a group of human subjects.
  
  
  METHODS
  The convenient sample recruitment method was employed; data from seventy three subjects were analyzed. The Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) and Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale (HAM-A) inventories were used to determine stress and anxiety scores respectively. Salivary nitric oxide was measured through nitrate (NOx) levels using the Griess reaction method.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Although stress and anxiety were correlated. No significant correlation exists between salivary nitrate and daily psychological stress and anxiety in the study's participants.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  While all previous studies focused NOx levels in acute stress models. This is the first study to investigate the correlation between salivary nitrates and daily psychological stress and anxiety. Although stress and anxiety were correlated, there is no correlation between salivary nitrates and daily psychological stress and anxiety. Further studies are required to investigate this correlation using other biological samples such as plasma.
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Health Sciences, American University of Madaba, Madaba, Jordan.
authors.forename: Omar Salem
authors.initials: OS
authors.lastname: Gammoh
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Sciences, American University of Madaba, Madaba, Jordan.
authors.forename: Ahmed Mohammad
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Al-Smadi
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Nursing, Hashemite University, Zarqa, Jordan.
authors.forename: Ala Fawzi
authors.initials: AF
authors.lastname: Ashour
authors.affiliation: Biochemistry Department of Biology and Biotechnology, American University of Madaba, Madaba, Jordan.
authors.forename: Wajdy
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Al-Awaida
keywords: Anxiety; Nitric oxide; Stress