Abstract
There are many antibodies, hormones and proteins in saliva; therefore, saliva has been used for researches and diagnosis in exercise sciences and immunology. However, there have only teen few studies inspecting if this collection method affects the concentrations of salivary biomarkers. Purpose: (1) determine the effects of different salivary volumes on collection efficiency and on the levels of salivary IgA (s-IgA), total protein, amylase, and cortisol using the Salivette swab collection method; and (2) investigate the influence of different methods of saliva collection on the levels of the above salivary biomarkers, and on the estimation of saliva flow rate. Methods: Eight healthy men (mean ± SEM: age 29.1 ± 2.9 yr; body mass 74.2 ± 1.3 kg)and twelve healthy men (age 28.3 ± 2.1 yr; body mass 74.6 ± 1.7 kg) volunteered to participate in Study 1 and study 2, respectively. In Study 1, subjects were asked to produce 15 mL of unstimulated saliva by dribbling into a tube over a 20-30 minute period. The samples then were divided into the following volumes: 4mL, 3mL, 2mL, 1mL, 0.7mL, 0.4mL, 0.2mL, and control (~3mL) for inspecting purpose (1). In Study 2, subjects completed three 2-minute unstimulated saliva sample collection periods in counterbalanced order for inspecting purpose (2). Results: (1) Sslivette swab became saturated between the saliva volumes of 2 mL and 3 mL, and this range also produced the best efficiency for collecting saliva samples; (2) the levels of sIgA, s-total protein, s-amylase and s-cortisol, were all significantly affected by the presence of the Salivette swab; and there was no relation and regular changes between the effect and saliva secretion volume. Conclusion: Our findings showed that the swab collection method significantly affects the results of salivary IgA, total protein, amylase and cortisol. With regard to previously reported studies in which swabs were used to collect saliva, our findings suggest that the results of such studies may be compromised and need to be reconsidered.
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have