[Lactoferrin and fibrinogen degradation products in saliva]

The authors suggest a simple and convenient procedure for measuring acute-phase proteins, lactoferrin, fibrinogen and its degradation products, in mixed human saliva by the agar immunodiffusion test with appropriate monospecific antisera. Examinations of 1205 salivary samples have revealed that salivary fibrinogen degradation products and lactoferrin detection rates do not depend on the subject's sex but are growing with age and intensity of the aggressive admixture effects in inhaled air; they are also related to the intensity of the inflammatory and proliferative processes in the oral cavity and bronchopulmonary system, the values varying from 4-16 percent in health to 68.8-71.8 percent in disease. In monitoring salivary acute-phase proteins detection rates make up 100 percent in the patients and 0-4 percent in normal subjects. The authors come to a conclusion that measurements of salivary acute-phase proteins may be used in screening of the population to detect subjects at risk for further diagnostic examinations.