Saliva in the diagnosis of diseases

Abstract

Saliva is secreted from the salivary glands and has multiple functions, including mouth cleaning and protection, antibacterial effects and digestion. With the rapid advancement in salivaomics, saliva is well recognized as a pool of biological markers. Saliva, as a non-invasive and safe source, could be a substitute for blood in the diagnosis and prognosis of diseases. This review summarizes the latest advancements in saliva-related studies and addresses the potential value of saliva in the early diagnosis of oral diseases, such as dental caries and periodontal disease, as well as cancer, diabetes and other systemic disorders. Saliva biomarkers range from changes in the biochemical indices of DNA, RNA and proteins to the diversification of microbiota structures. This study integrates data reported in the recent literature and discusses the clinical significance and prospects for the application of saliva in the early diagnosis of diseases, translational medicine and precision medicine.

Pathogenesis of Keratoconus: The intriguing therapeutic potential of Prolactin-inducible protein

“…Saliva is secreted from 3 paired major salivary glands (parotid, submandibular, and sublingual) (Zhang et al, 2016a). A number of salivary epithelial and inflammatory proteins have been seen as potential biomarkers for diabetes, cardiovascular, oral, and autoimmune diseases such as Sjögren’s syndrome (Baldini et al, 2011).…”

Saliva: potential diagnostic value and transmission of 2019-nCoV

“…8 Around 99% of saliva is water and the rest 1% contains a large group of components for the purpose of digesting, taste, buffering, balance of remineralization, and anti-microorganisms. 9 Oral cavity is an entrance and an outlet of body, and saliva is supposed to play a role in early diagnosis and close contact transmission in infectious diseases. Here, we summarize the reports associated with saliva and 2019-nCoV.…”

A Review of Salivary Diagnostics and Its Potential Implication in Detection of Covid-19

“…The salivary glands have high permeability and are surrounded by abundant capillaries, blood and acini, which can exchange molecules. Hence, biomarkers in the blood circulation can infiltrate acini and ultimately secreted into the saliva [1]. Every day, 600 ml of serous and mucinous saliva is secreted from the human salivary glands which contains minerals, electrolytes, buffers, enzymes and enzyme inhibitors, growth factors and cytokines, immunoglobulins (e.g., secretory immunoglobulin A [IgA]), mucins and other glycoproteins [2].…”