Saliva proteins change as women age

John Yates and colleagues note that human saliva contains many different proteins involved in digestion, disease fighting, and other functions. Scientists are seeking ways to use the proteins as molecular "fingerprints" to develop quick diagnostic tests that provide an alternative to the needle sticks currently needed for blood tests. To do that, they need detailed information on how normal aging affects these proteins.

The scientists analyzed saliva proteins in healthy women aged 20-30 and 55-65. They identified 293 proteins differed between the two age groups. Most were involved in the immune system's defenses against infection. Older women had almost twice as many immune-related proteins than younger women. The results suggest that "it is critical to take into consideration these normal differences in protein expression when searching for clinically relevant, disease specific biomarkers," the article notes.

More information: "Quantitative Analysis of Age Specific Variation in the Abundance of Human Female Parotid Salivary Proteins", Journal of Proteome Research, http://pubs.acs.org/stoken/presspac/presspac/full/10.1021/pr900478h

Source: American Chemical Society (news : web)