Abstract
Salivary non-esterified fatty acids (NEFA) are proposed to play a role in oral health, oral fat detection, and they may hold diagnostic and prognostic potential. Yet, little is known about the array and concentrations of NEFA in saliva. The aim of the study was to conduct qualitative and quantitative analyses of salivary NEFA in healthy humans and to present a new, efficient protocol to perform such analyses. Resting saliva samples from fifteen participants were collected. The salivary lipids were extracted using a modified Folch extraction. The NEFA in the extracted lipids were selectively subjected to pentafluorobenzyl bromide (PFB) derivatization and qualitatively and quantitatively analyzed using gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS). A total of 16 NEFA were identified in resting saliva. The four major NEFA were palmitic, linoleic, oleic, and stearic acids. Their concentrations ranged from 2 to 9 μM. This is the first study to characterize individual human salivary NEFA and their respective concentrations. The method used in the study is sensitive, precise, and accurate. It is specific to fatty acids in non-esterified form and hence enables analysis of NEFA without their separation from other lipid classes. Thus, it saves time, reagents and prevents loss of sample. These properties make it suitable for large scale analysis of salivary NEFA.
Highlights
Non-esterified fatty acids (NEFA) play an important role in human metabolism
Better knowledge of individual NEFA concentrations may aid in determining their utility in disease etiology, diagnosis, and management
Dietary total fatty acid composition is known to influence total salivary fatty acid composition and the result of this study suggests dietary fatty acid composition may influence salivary NEFA composition
Summary
Non-esterified fatty acids (NEFA) play an important role in human metabolism They act as a source of energy via β oxidation, as building blocks for synthesis of phospholipids, lipoproteins, and glycolipids, and as intra- and intercellular signaling molecules. They are secreted in human saliva (Larsson et al, 1996) where they may serve multiple roles. Individual NEFA such as lauric, linoleic, and oleic acids suppress plaque formation and dissolution of hydroxyapatite at concentrations between 31 and 1000 μg/mL (Schuster et al, 1980) Such concentrations are generally not present in saliva (Larsson et al, 1996) raising questions about their health effects. Better knowledge of individual NEFA concentrations may aid in determining their utility in disease etiology, diagnosis, and management
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