Are you an EPFL student looking for a semester project?
Work with us on data science and visualisation projects, and deploy your project as an app on top of GraphSearch.
Concept
Saliva
Summary
Saliva (commonly referred to as spit) is an extracellular fluid produced and secreted by salivary glands in the mouth. In humans, saliva is around 99% water, plus electrolytes, mucus, white blood cells, epithelial cells (from which DNA can be extracted), enzymes (such as lipase and amylase), antimicrobial agents (such as secretory IgA, and lysozymes).
The enzymes found in saliva are essential in beginning the process of digestion of dietary starches and fats. These enzymes also play a role in breaking down food particles entrapped within dental crevices, thus protecting teeth from bacterial decay. Saliva also performs a lubricating function, wetting food and permitting the initiation of swallowing, and protecting the oral mucosa from drying out.
Various animal species have special uses for saliva that go beyond predigestion. Some swifts use their gummy saliva to build nests. Aerodramus nests form the basis of bird's nest soup.
Cobras, vipers, and certain other members of the venom clade hunt with venomous saliva injected by fangs. Some caterpillars produce silk fiber from silk proteins stored in modified salivary glands (which are unrelated to the vertebrate ones).
Produced in salivary glands, human saliva comprises 99.5% water, but also contains many important substances, including electrolytes, mucus, antibacterial compounds and various enzymes. Medically, constituents of saliva can noninvasively provide important diagnostic information related to oral and systemic diseases.
Water: 99.5%
Electrolytes:
2–21 mmol/L sodium (lower than blood plasma)
10–36 mmol/L potassium (higher than plasma)
1.2–2.8 mmol/L calcium (similar to plasma)
0.08–0.5 mmol/L magnesium
5–40 mmol/L chloride (lower than plasma)
25 mmol/L bicarbonate (higher than plasma)
1.4–39 mmol/L phosphate
Iodine (mmol/L concentration is usually higher than plasma, but dependent variable according to dietary iodine intake)
Mucus (mucus in saliva mainly consists of mucopolysaccharides and glycoproteins)
Antibacterial compounds (thiocyanate, hydrogen peroxide, and secretory immunoglobulin A)
Epidermal growth factor (EGF)
Saliva eliminates caesium, which can substitute for potassium in the cells.
Official source
About this result
This page is automatically generated and may contain information that is not correct, complete, up-to-date, or relevant to your search query. The same applies to every other page on this website. Please make sure to verify the information with EPFL's official sources.