Salivary Markers Responses in the Post-Exercise and Recovery Period: A Systematic Review

Abstract

The use of saliva to monitor immune and hormonal responses in training, competitions, and during recovery is an easy and non-invasive alternative means of collecting samples compared to serum collection. Saliva can provide insight into a number of interesting biomarkers such as cortisol, testosterone, immunoglobulins, alpha-amylase, and melatonin, among others. High-intensity and exhaustive exercises, such as training or competition, provide variations in immune, protein and hormonal markers. An adequate recovery period, calming down, and recovery methods can contribute to a fast normalization of these markers, decreasing illness, as well as the likelihood of overtraining and injuries, but their effectiveness is still inconclusive. The aim of this review was to investigate the evidence of salivary markers in post-exhaustive exercise during the recovery period. This study is a systematic review from three electronic databases with studies from 2011 to 2021 within healthy humans. The search found 213 studies, and after applying the inclusion and exclusion criteria, while excluding duplicated studies, 14 studies were included in this review. The most cited salivary markers were cortisol and testosterone, as well as their ratio, alpha-amylase and IgA. Half of the studies applied a variety of recovery methods that showed controversial results over salivary markers’ impact. However, they showed an impact on the markers from the exercise, which was still dependent on exercise intensity, methodology, and duration.

O uso de biomarcadores salivares para monitorização das alterações metabólicas ocasionadas pelo exercício físico - Uma revisão da literatura

“…Ainda, Neves et al (2023) analisaram em uma revisão sistemática que o cortisol salivar, a testosterona e a alfa-amilase podem ser usados para avaliar o impacto do exercício, bem como as respostas aos métodos de recuperação, além de serem biomarcadores facilmente acessíveis (Neves et al, 2023). Os pesquisadores ressaltaram o cortisol como o biomarcador salivar mais usado durante os períodos de recuperação, sendo que ainda há dúvidas sobre o uso de outros marcadores salivares (Neves et al, 2023). Além de tudo, Guojian He et al ( 2022) analisou a viabilidade de utilizar os biomarcadores de microRNA (mi-RNA) contidos na saliva de atletas para diagnóstico de concussão.…”

Concurrent Ingestion of Alkaline Water and L-Glutamine Enhanced Salivary α-Amylase Activity and Testosterone Concentration in Boxing Athletes

“…A significant increase in salivary α-amylase was reported in Taekwondo athletes after an official competition in which the athletes spent 65% of the time working at greater than 90% of the maximum heart rate of each individual [60]. On the contrary, such high-intensity events decreased the level of immunoglobulin, indicating that IgA tends to exhibit low levels or remain unchanged after exhaustive exercises or high-intensity training sessions [61]. Our results indicate that co-ingestion of alkaline water and L-glutamine can significantly elevate the level of salivary α-amylase and potentially prevent the decline in IgA after high-intensity exercise.…”