title: A tentative model for (D)-glucose turnover in human saliva.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The aim of the present study is to propose a tentative model for d-glucose turnover in human saliva. The whole saliva and the saliva from parotid and submandibular/sublingual glands were collected by use of the Salivette™.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The saliva glucose concentration was measured by the hexokinase method, saliva bacteria glycolysis by use of d-[5-(3)H] glucose, and the saliva ATP content by the luciferase method. The concentration of glucose amounted to 43.9±6.3 (n=29), 197.5±17.3 (n=29), 104.0±12.4 (n=27) μM in whole saliva, parotid saliva and submandibular/sublingual saliva, respectively. The rate of d-glucose utilization by oral bacteria at a physiological concentration of d-glucose in saliva (50μM) was estimated at 0.047±0.003 (n=11) nmol/min per 10(6) bacteria. Unstimulated salivary d-glucose turnover rate, as calculated from the amount of glucose secreted in saliva which comes from parotid and submandibular and sublingual glands represented 214.6±19.1%/min. In order for salivary d-glucose production to match bacterial utilization of the hexose, the total number of oral bacteria was estimated at about 2.0×10(9) bacteria, in fair agreement with previously published data.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This study thus provides support for a tentative model for d-glucose turnover in human saliva.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Experimental Hormonology, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Brussels, Belgium. Sibel.Cetik@ulb.ac.be
authors.forename: Sibel
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Cetik
authors.forename: Ying
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Emeline
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Hupkens
authors.forename: Cedric
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Jurysta
authors.forename: Willy J
authors.initials: WJ
authors.lastname: Malaisse
authors.forename: Abdullah
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Sener
mesh_terms: D000255:Adenosine Triphosphate / Q000378:metabolism; D005260:Female; D005947:Glucose / Q000378:metabolism*; D006019:Glycolysis; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D012463:Saliva / Q000737:chemistry*; D012472:Salivation; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D000255:Adenosine Triphosphate; D005947:Glucose
keywords: Glycolysis rate in oral bacteria; Saliva glucose concentration; Salivary ATP; Salivary flow