Saliva
hideSaliva (also referred to as spit , spittle or slobber) 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 mostly of water, but also 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. Saliva also plays an important role in tasting food by trapping thiols produced from odourless food compounds by anaerobic bacteria living in 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.
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News tagged with saliva
Mexican labs target adulterers with DNA testing
Nov 20, 2009 |
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Suspect your significant other might be cheating on you? In Mexico, numerous laboratories are now offering a way to find out for sure -- DNA tests.
On the trail of a vaccine for Lyme disease: Researchers target tick saliva
Nov 19, 2009 |
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A protein found in the saliva of ticks helps protect mice from developing Lyme disease, Yale researchers have discovered. The findings, published in the November 19 issue of Cell Host & Microbe, may spur d ...
Toward explaining why hepatitis B hits men harder than women
Nov 18, 2009 |
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Scientists in China are reporting discovery of unusual liver proteins, found only in males, that may help explain the long-standing mystery of why the hepatitis B virus (HBV) sexually discriminates -- hitting ...
Saliva proteins change as women age
Nov 18, 2009 |
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In a step toward using human saliva to tell whether those stiff joints, memory lapses, and other telltale signs of aging are normal or red flags for disease, scientists are describing how the protein content ...
Vanderbilt Lung Cancer Trial for Never Smokers Goes Online
Sep 29, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- One of the enduring mysteries of lung cancer is why so many people who never smoked develop the disease. More than 219,000 patients are diagnosed with lung cancer in the United States every ...
Tick saliva could hold cancer cure: Brazilian scientists
Aug 28, 2009 |
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It may be one of nature's repulsive little blood-sucking parasites, but the humble tick could yield a future cure for cancers of the skin, liver and pancreas, Brazilian researchers have discovered.
MicroRNA in human saliva may help diagnose oral cancer
Aug 25, 2009 |
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Researchers continue to add to the diagnostic alphabet of saliva by identifying the presence of at least 50 microRNAs that could aid in the detection of oral cancer, according to a report in Clinical Cancer Research, a jour ...
Are you the next Usain Bolt? The answer could be in your saliva
Aug 20, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- Scientists at Newcastle University are launching a ground-breaking study to find out why some of us can run faster than others - despite doing the same amount of training.
Pathway Genomics launches public DNA testing
Jul 15, 2009 |
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A young US start-up brimming with medical research veterans brings genetic testing to the masses on Wednesday with an affordable, comprehensive DNA service for the public.
A breath mint made from... coffee?
Jun 24, 2009 |
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We all know why Starbucks puts boxes of breath mints close to the cash register. Your morning latte can create a startling aroma in your mouth, strong enough to startle your co-workers too.
Sugar, spice and puppy dog tails: Developing sex-typed personality traits and interests
Apr 29, 2009 |
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A new longitudinal study of children's personality traits and interests tells us that sex-typed characteristics develop differently in girls and boys. The study, by researchers at The Pennsylvania State University, the University ...
'Magic potion' in fly spit may shoo away blinding eye disease
Apr 06, 2009 |
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Researchers are reporting the first identification of a "magic potion" of proteins in the saliva of the black fly that help this blood-sucking pest spread parasites that cause "river blindness," a devastating ...
Pain-free method of monitoring drug levels in transplant patients
Apr 03, 2009 |
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The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office is reviewing a University of Rhode Island pharmacy professor's proposal to use saliva as a non-invasive way to monitor concentrations of anti-rejection drugs in patients that undergo transplants.
Protein from tick saliva studied for potential myasthenia gravis treatment
Medicine & Health / Neuroscience
Mar 26, 2009 |
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Looking for a better treatment for the autoimmune disease myasthenia gravis, researchers have found that a protein in tick saliva shows promise in limiting the severity of the disease in an animal model in a study published ...
Advance toward first saliva test for Type 2 diabetes
Jan 19, 2009 |
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Scientists in Oregon and India are reporting an advance toward developing the first saliva test to diagnose and monitor effectiveness of treatment for Type 2 diabetes. Their report was published in the Jan. 2 issue of ACS' ...
