Abstract
Background: Role of oxidative stress in pathophysiology of various diseases has already been established. Antioxidants act as free radical scavenger and prevent damage to cell, at the same time affects the metabolism of several pathogenic microbes. With increasing incidence of antibiotic resistance, alternative therapeutic treatment options are coming into picture. WHO claims probiotics to be the next most important immune defence system following antibiotic resistance. Even though there are several studies emphasising on the positive outcome of probiotics on diseases, their exact mechanism of action still remains debatable. The present study tried to unveil the antioxidant property of probiotics in saliva along with its effect on salivary pH and buffering capacity. Methods: Unstimulated saliva from 10 individuals were analysed for total antioxidant level, pH and buffering capacity using spectrophotometer, pH paper and buffering strips respectively, before and after probiotic intake for 2 weeks. Results: Probiotic intake led to increase in total salivary antioxidant level with no significant changes in pH and buffering capacity. Results obtained were statistically analysed using “paired t-test”. Conclusions: Probiotics are effective in increasing antioxidant level thereby minimizing cellular damage and hence can be used for prevention of several diseases. Also increase in antioxidant level can be easily assessed in saliva, thus, saliva can be used as a routine diagnostic tool.
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