title: Ratios of free to total prostate-specific antigen and total prostate specific antigen to protein concentrations in saliva and serum of healthy men.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  We evaluated the ratio of free to total prostate-specific antigen (PSA) and PSA to protein concentrations in saliva and serum of healthy men.
  
  
  METHODS
  Concentrations of protein, free PSA, and total PSA in serum and saliva were measured in 30 healthy men aged 42 to 73 years, and their ratios were compared between the two fluids.
  
  
  RESULTS
  There was a significant direct correlation between serum free-total PSA ratios of serum and saliva (P = .04) and between total PSA-protein ratios of serum and saliva (P = .02). Also, there were significant correlations between total and free PSA levels in saliva (P = .05) and between those in serum (P < .001). Significant inverse and direct correlations were detected between the body mass index and serum values of total PSA-protein (P = .04) and free-total PSA (P = .01), respectively.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  We can use saliva sample instead of serum sample for estimation of free-total PSA and total PSA-protein levels in men without prostate diseases. There is, however, a pressing need for much additional research in this area before the true clinical value of saliva as a diagnostic fluid can be determined.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry and Nutrition, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran. ayatollahih@mums.ac.ir
authors.forename: Hossein
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Ayatollahi
authors.forename: Mohammad Reza
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Darabi Mahboub
authors.forename: Nema
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Mohammadian
authors.forename: Mohammad Reza
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Parizadeh
authors.forename: Tayyebeh
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kianoosh
authors.forename: Mahdi
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Khabbaz Khoob
authors.forename: Fahimeh
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Kamalian
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000032:analysis; D001798:Blood Proteins / Q000032:analysis*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D017430:Prostate-Specific Antigen / Q000032:analysis* / Q000097:blood; D011471:Prostatic Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis; D012016:Reference Values; D012463:Saliva / Q000737:chemistry*; D012471:Salivary Proteins and Peptides / Q000032:analysis*
chemical_list: D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; D001798:Blood Proteins; D012471:Salivary Proteins and Peptides; D017430:Prostate-Specific Antigen