The salivary proteome: challenges and perspectives

We provide a brief overview of the salivary proteome but with an emphasis on the major challenges in protein identification and quantitation. Precautions are necessary to avoid proteolysis, deglycosylation and dephosphorylation of salivary proteins by microbial and host enzymes in saliva. Many proteins are differentially expressed in secretions from different salivary glands and their proportional contributions to saliva vary with the flow rate. The total protein concentration in the secretion from any one gland varies considerably, depending on factors such as flow rate, duration of stimulation, nature of the stimulus and circadian rhythms. Many plasma proteins enter saliva via gingival crevicular fluid, of which there are increased amounts in persons with gingivitis or periodontal disease. These factors must be taken into account in the identification of potential biomarkers for different oral or systemic diseases.