[Activity of alpha-amylase and concentration of protein in saliva of pregnant women].
OBJECTIVE
One of the hypothetical reasons of the increased incidence of caries in women during the pregnancy may be the increased activity of alpha-amylase, which can be found in their saliva. The enzyme takes part in the process of decomposition of simple sugars, which make basic substrate for caries-causing bacteria. The aim of the paper was the evaluation of the influence of pregnancy and gestational age on the activity of alpha-amylase and the concentration of protein in women's saliva.


METHODS
The examined group consisted of 64 pregnant women at age 17-39, between 21st and 40th week of pregnancy. The control group consisted of 44 healthy women at age 20-35, who were not pregnant. In saliva, which was taken before morning meal, without stimulation, protein concentration was determined by Bradford method and the activity of amylase was determined by kinetic method.


RESULTS
The activity of amylase correlated strongly and positively with protein concentration in saliva of both the pregnant (RS = +0.65; p < 0.00001) and the control group (RS = +0.74; p < 0.00001) women. There were no significant differences between examined parameters in the examined and the control group. It has been observed in the examined group, that there is the significant negative correlation between protein concentration in saliva and the week of pregnancy (RS = -0.35; p <0.01). It has been observed, in conducted researches, that there is no relation between the activity of amylase and the pregnancy and gestational age, which proves against the essential role of this enzyme in the increased caries incidence of pregnant women. However, the observed changes of total protein concentration in saliva during pregnancy, suggest that the exact cognition of proteins in pregnant women's saliva may reveal new mechanisms, which lead to an increase of caries risk.
Zakład Chirurgii Stomatologicznej Pomorskiej Akademii Medycznej w Szczecinie, Szczecin.
Magdalena
M
Ciejak
Maria
M
Olszewska
Katarzyna
K
Jakubowska
Dariusz
D
Zebiełowicz
Krzysztof
K
Safranow
Dariusz
D
Chlubek
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D011247:Pregnancy; D011262:Pregnancy Trimester, Second / Q000378:metabolism*; D011263:Pregnancy Trimester, Third / Q000378:metabolism*; D012016:Reference Values; D012463:Saliva / Q000737:chemistry / Q000201:enzymology*; D012471:Salivary Proteins and Peptides / Q000032:analysis*; D000516:alpha-Amylases / Q000378:metabolism*
D012471:Salivary Proteins and Peptides; D000516:alpha-Amylases