Salivary biomarkers of tactical athlete readiness: A systematic review

Tactical athletes must maintain high levels of physical and cognitive readiness to handle the rigorous demands of their roles. They frequently encounter acute stressors like sleep deprivation, muscle fatigue, dehydration, and harsh environmental conditions, which can impair their readiness and increase the risk of mission failure. Given the challenging conditions these athletes face, there is a vital need for non-invasive, rapidly deployable point-of-care assessments to effectively measure the impact of these stressors on their operational readiness. Salivary biomarkers are promising in this regard, as they reflect physiological changes due to stress. This systematic review aims to investigate salivary markers as potential indicators for readiness, specifically focusing on their sensitivity to acute stressors like sleep deprivation, dehydration, environmental factors, and muscle fatigue. A search was conducted using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines (PROSPERO; registration #: CRD42022370388). The primary inclusion criteria were the use of a quantitative analysis to assess salivary biomarkers changes in response to acute stressors. Risk of bias and methodological quality were evaluated with the modified Downs and Black checklist. Hormonal salivary biomarkers were the most commonly studied biomarkers. Muscle damage and fatigue were the most frequently studied acute stressors, followed by sleep deprivation, multiple stressors, dehydration, and environmental. Biomarkers such as creatine kinase, aspartate aminotransferase, uric acid, cortisol, testosterone, and the testosterone to cortisol ratio were indicative of muscle damage. Dehydration influenced osmolality, total protein, flow rate, and chloride ion concentrations. Sleep deprivation affected proteins, peptides, and alpha-amylase levels. Environmental stressors, such as hypoxia and cold temperatures, altered cortisol, pH, dehydroepiandrosterone-sulfate (DHEA-s), and salivary IgA levels. The current body of research highlights that various salivary biomarkers react to acute stressors, and proteomic panels appear promising for predicting physical and cognitive outcomes relevant to the operational readiness of tactical athletes.