Human saliva as a diagnostic specimen.

Area of Science:

• Biochemistry
• Clinical Diagnostics
• Noninvasive Monitoring

Background:

• Human saliva is an easily accessible biofluid for noninvasive health screening.
• Saliva contains numerous clinically relevant analytes, including hormones, drugs, and antibodies.
• Previous research has established correlations between salivary and serum analyte levels.

Purpose of the Study:

• To highlight the utility of saliva as a diagnostic specimen.
• To demonstrate the correlation between saliva and serum analyte concentrations.
• To emphasize the advantages of saliva testing over traditional serum analysis.

Main Methods:

• Noninvasive collection of saliva samples.
• Analysis of various analytes including steroid hormones, nonpeptide hormones, therapeutic drugs, drugs of abuse, and antibodies.
• Comparison of salivary analyte levels with established serum levels.

Main Results:

• Saliva analysis accurately reflects serum levels for a wide range of analytes.
• Diurnal and monthly hormone profiles in saliva parallel serum patterns.
• Salivary steroid hormone levels correlate with unbound, active hormone concentrations.

Conclusions:

• Saliva is a valuable diagnostic specimen for cost-effective and efficient health monitoring.
• Saliva testing provides unique insights, including unbound hormone concentrations, not readily available from serum.
• Noninvasive saliva collection facilitates patient-initiated monitoring of fertility, stress, and drug efficacy.