Influence of the way of reporting alpha-Amylase values in saliva in different naturalistic situations: A pilot study

Abstract

The objective of this pilot study was to compare the different ways of measuring salivary alpha-amylase (sAA, enzymatic vs. concentration) and to evaluate the influence that the different ways of reporting the results can have in sAA interpretation. For this purpose, sAA was measured by direct quantification and also by an enzymatic assay in three different naturalistic situations, a physical stressor (situation 1) and two mental stressors of different intensity (situations 2 and 3). The results were expressed in three different ways (without correction, multiplied by flow rate and divided by protein concentration). sAA concentration and activity increased just after situations 1 and 3. When values were multiplied by the flow rate, significant changes after situation 1 were detected only for sAA activity but not for sAA concentration, being these changes of lower significance and magnitude that those observed for sAA activity without any correction. In addition, a significant increase in sAA activity was found at T+15 in situation 2. In situation 3 the significant decrease in sAA at T+15 disappeared. When values were divided by protein concentration, there were no significant changes in situations 1 or 3, but a decrease in situation 2 at T+0 and an increase at T+15. sAA activity and concentration showed a significant correlation in all situations. This pilot study points out that the way of expressing sAA can influence the results obtained in different stress models and also their interpretation. Therefore, how sAA is reported and the factors involved in the different ways of expressing sAA, should be taken into consideration for an objective interpretation of sAA values.

Salivary Biomarkers and Their Correlation with Pain and Stress in Patients with Burning Mouth Syndrome

“…Since components present in saliva have different origins, i.e., are locally secreted by salivary glands or oral mucosa, or pass from blood among other, and can be affected by non-uniform salivary flow rate, the need to correct values of salivary biomarker by flow rate, total protein content or salivary osmolarity versus use of their absolute value is being increasingly acknowledged and studied by different authors [25,28]. In this study we aimed to evaluate the results without any adjustment, and we also corrected salivary flow or total protein content to gain knowledge about the possible effect that these corrections can have in this particular disease.…”

“…Hp levels were measured in saliva using a homemade immunoassay as previously described [24]. Salivary alpha-amylase (sAA) activity was measured using a colorimetric commercial kit (Alpha-Amylase, Beckman Coulter Inc., Fullerton, CA, USA) following the IFCC method as previously reported and validated [25].…”

A Review of Selected Studies That Determine the Physical and Chemical Properties of Saliva in the Field of Dental Treatment

“…Contreras-Aguilar et al revealed that both activity and concentration of amylase vary depending on the stress situation and the method of determination and interpretation. These differences may result from many factors, such as changes in the salivary flow, the concentration of all salivary proteins, and various stressful situations [ 90 ]. Stress and pain are often interrelated events.…”

Measurement of urea and creatinine in saliva of dogs: a pilot study

“…In human medicine, saliva is gaining attention as a possible alternate fluid to blood analysis [2]. In dogs, analytes such as C-reactive protein [3], cortisol [4], alpha-amylase [5], adenosine deaminase [6] or muscle enzymes [7] have been successfully measured in saliva.…”