Everything about Saliva totally explained
Saliva is the watery and usually frothy substance produced in the mouths of
humans and most other
animals. Saliva is produced in and secreted from the
salivary glands. Human saliva is composed of 98%
water, the remainder of which includes
electrolytes,
mucus,
antibacterial compounds, and various
enzymes. As part of the initial process of food digestion, the enzymes in the saliva break down some of the starch and fat in the food at the molecular level. Saliva also breaks down food caught in the teeth, protecting them from bacteria that cause decay. Furthermore, saliva lubricates and protects the teeth, the tongue, and the tender tissues inside the mouth.
Various species have evolved special uses for saliva that go beyond predigestion. Some
swifts use their gummy saliva to build their nests. Some
Aerodramus swiftlet nests are made only from saliva and used to make
bird's nest soup. Cobras, vipers, and certain other members of the
venom clade hunt with venomous saliva injected by fangs. Some arthropods, such as spiders and caterpillars, create thread from salivary glands.
Functions
Digestion
The digestive functions of saliva include moistening food, and helping to create a food
bolus, so it can be swallowed easily. Saliva contains the
enzyme amylase that breaks some
starches down into
maltose and
dextrin. Thus, digestion of food occurs within the mouth, even before food reaches the
stomach. Salivary glands also secrete enzymes (salivary lipase) to start fat digestion.
Disinfectants
A common belief is that saliva contained in the mouth has natural
disinfectants, which leads people to believe it's beneficial to "lick their wounds". Researchers at the
University of Florida at
Gainesville have discovered a
protein called
nerve growth factor (NGF) in the saliva of
mice. Wounds doused with NGF healed twice as fast as untreated and unlicked wounds; therefore, saliva can help to heal wounds in some species. NGF hasn't been found in human saliva; however, researchers find human saliva contains such
antibacterial agents as secretory
IgA,
lactoferrin, and
lactoperoxidase. It hasn't been shown that human licking of wounds disinfects them, but licking is likely to help clean the wound by removing larger contaminants such as dirt and may help to directly remove infective bodies by brushing them away. Therefore, licking would be a way of washing, useful if purer water isn't available to the animal or person.
The mouth of animals is the habitat of many bacteria, some of which may be
pathogenic. Animal (including human) bites are routinely treated with systemic
antibiotics because of the risk of
septicemia.
Recent research suggests that the saliva of birds is a better indicator of
avian influenza than are
faecal samples.
Stimulation
The production of saliva is stimulated both by the
sympathetic nervous system and the
parasympathetic.
The saliva stimulated by sympathetic innervation is thicker, and saliva stimulated parasympathetically is more watery.
Daily salivary output
There has been some disagreement regarding the daily salivary output in a healthy individual. Today, it's believed that the average person produces approximately 0.75 l of saliva per day, less than half of the output originally thought produced.
It is produced at a rate of 1-1.5 l/day. 20ml/hr at rest, 250 ml/hr under stimulated conditions. While sleeping, salivary flow drops to almost zero.
Contents
Produced in
salivary glands, human saliva is 98%
water, but it contains many important substances, including
electrolytes,
mucus,
antibacterial compounds and various
enzymes.
It is a
fluid containing:
- Water
- Electrolytes:
- Mucus. Mucus in saliva mainly consists of mucopolysaccharides and glycoproteins;
- Antibacterial compounds (thiocyanate, hydrogen peroxide, and secretory immunoglobulin A)
- Various enzymes. There are three major enzymes found in saliva.
- α-amylase (EC3.2.1.1). Amylase starts the digestion of starch and lipase fat before the food is even swallowed. It has a pH optima of 7.4.
- lysozyme (EC3.2.1.17). Lysozyme acts to cause lysis in bacteria.
- lingual lipase (EC3.1.1.3). Lingual lipase has a pH optimum ~4.0 so it isn't activated till entering an acidic environment.
- Minor enzymes include salivary acid phosphatases A+B (EC3.1.3.2), N-acetylmuramyl-L-alanine amidase (EC3.5.1.28), NAD(P)H dehydrogenase-quinone (EC1.6.99.2), salivary lactoperoxidase (EC1.11.1.7), superoxide dismutase (EC1.15.1.1), glutathione transferase (EC2.5.1.18), class 3 aldehyde dehydrogenase (EC1.2.1.3), glucose-6-phosphate isomerase (EC5.3.1.9), and tissue kallikrein (EC3.4.21.35).
- Cells: Possibly as much as 8 million human and 500 million bacterial cells per mL. The presence of bacterial products (small organic acids, amines, and thiols) causes saliva to sometimes exhibit foul odor.
- Opiorphin, a newly researched pain-killing substance found in human saliva.
Different reagents used to determine the content of saliva
1. Molisch test gives a positive result of purple color that's costituent to the presence of carbohydrates
Further Information
Get more info on 'Saliva'.
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