Related Experiment Video
Updated: Mar 5, 2026

Isolation of Salivary Epithelial Cells from Human Salivary Glands for In Vitro Growth as Salispheres or Monolayers
Published on: July 15, 2019
Exercise increases lactoferrin, but decreases lysozyme in salivary granulocytes
Trevor Gillum1, Matthew Kuennen2, Zachary McKenna3
1Department of Kinesiology, California Baptist University, 8432 Magnolia Ave., Riverside, CA, 92504, USA. tgillum@calbaptist.edu.
Introduction:
Intracellular lactoferrin (Lac) and lysozyme (Lys) content play an important role in regulating inflammation and promoting host protection. While exercise has demonstrated an increase in Lac and Lys concentration in exocrine solutions, little is known regarding intracellular concentration changes in response to exercise.
Purpose:
To quantify intracellular Lac and Lys concentration before and after exercise in salivary CD45+CD15+ cells.
Methods:
11 males (20.3 ± 0.8 years, 57.2 ± 7.6 mL/kg/min V̇O2pk, 11.1 ± 3.9% body fat) ran for 45 min at 75% of VO2pk. 12 mL of stimulated saliva were collected pre and immediately post exercise. Saliva was filtered through a 30-µm filter before analysis of leukocytes (CD45+) and granulocytes (CD45+CD15+) using flow cytometry.
Results:
Median fluorescent intensity (MFI) of Lac increased from pre (64,268 ± 46,036 MFI) to post (117,134 ± 88,115 MFI) exercise (p <0.05). Lys MFI decreased with exercise (pre: 16,933 ± 8249; post: 11,616 ± 6875) (p <0.05).
Conclusion:
Acute running resulted in an increased Lac concentration which could lead to a decrease in inflammation, adding further evidence of the anti-inflammatory effects of exercise. Conversely, the exercise-associated decrease of intracellular Lys content could be the cause of increased Lys in exocrine solutions.
More Related Videos
06:13Two-layered Membrane Sandwich Method for Laodelphax striatellus Saliva Collection
Published on: August 27, 2021
08:37Sampling Human Indigenous Saliva Peptidome Using a Lollipop-Like Ultrafiltration Probe: Simplify and Enhance Peptide Detection for Clinical Mass Spectrometry
Published on: August 7, 2012
Related Concept Videos
Salivary Glands and Saliva
Lipid Digestion
Lysosomes
Lysosomal Hydrolases
Accessory Organs
Exocrine Glands: Types of Secretions
Serous glands produce watery secretions rich in digestive enzymes and proteins. The constituent cells of the serous gland have centrally located nuclei and eosinophilic secretory granules in the cytoplasm. The parotid gland is an example of a serous gland. It secretes saliva, which contains enzymes, such as lipases and...