Characteristics of saliva secreted by patients with TCM-Piyinxu

To investigate various characteristics of saliva secreted by patients with TCM-Piyinxu (Spleen-yin deficiency).

Twenty-five individuals with Piyinxu (15 males and 10 females; age range 26-70 years, mean age = 45 years) diagnosed based on criteria used in traditional Chinese medicine, were compared with 20 individuals with Shenyinxu (Kidney-yin deficiency) (11 males, 9 females; age range 35-75 years, mean age = 50) and 30 normal individuals (17 males, 13 females; age range 35-65 years, mean age = 49 years). After acid stimulation, the saliva flow in each group was measured, and the levels of amylase and protein in saliva were determined using an automatic biochemical analyzer. The resultant data were analyzed using the Kruskal-Wallis test and one-way factorial ANOVA test.

The flow rates of saliva and amylase in Piyinxu patients (0.27 ± 0.016 mL/min and 2134.13 ± 343.51 IU/min, respectively) were lower than those in normal subjects (0.46 ± 0.027 mL/min and 3501.63 ± 1099.63 IU/min, respectively, P < 0.01), but higher than those in the Shenyinxu group (0.13 ± 0.051 mL/min and 951.62 ± 383.17 IU/min, respectively, P < 0.01). The three groups showed no significant difference in their level of total salivary protein (Piyinxu group, 3.07 ± 0.60 g/L; Shenyinxu group, 3.01 ± 0.90 g/L, and control group, 2.94 ± 1.13 g/L, P = 0.869), amount of amylase per saliva volume, or their ratio of amylase to protein in secreted saliva (P = 0.173 and P = 0.436, respectively).

Piyinxu patients showed altered rates of saliva and amylase secretion when compared with those parameters in patients with Shenyinxu and normal subjects.