Delias
08-13-2010, 12:09 AM
Today I was thinking about saliva. I saw an adult drool, and I thought "that's gross". Getting someone elses saliva on you is generally considered disgusting. It made me curious about the properties of saliva, so I consulted the source (not repository, source) of all human knowledge, Wikipedia.
Skip down to the bold, important part if you would.
Produced in salivary glands, human saliva is 98% water, but it contains many important substances, including electrolytes, mucus, antibacterial compounds and various enzymes.[1]
It is a fluid containing:
Water
Electrolytes:
2-21 mmol/L sodium (lower than blood plasma)
10-36 mmol/L potassium (higher than plasma)
1.2-2.8 mmol/L calcium (similar to plasma)
0.08-0.5 mmol/L magnesium
5-40 mmol/L chloride (lower than plasma)
25 mmol/L bicarbonate (higher than plasma)
1.4-39 mmol/L phosphate
Iodine (mmol/L usually higher than plasma, but dependent variable according to dietary iodine intake)
Mucus. Mucus in saliva mainly consists of mucopolysaccharides and glycoproteins;
Antibacterial compounds (thiocyanate, hydrogen peroxide, and secretory immunoglobulin A)
Epidermal growth factor or EGF
Various enzymes. There are three major enzymes found in saliva.
α-amylase (EC3.2.1.1). Amylase starts the digestion of starch and lipase fat before the food is even swallowed. It has a pH optima of 7.4.
lingual lipase. Lingual lipase has a pH optimum ~4.0 so it is not activated until entering the acidic environment of the stomach.
Antimicrobial enzymes that kill bacteria.
Lysozyme
Salivary lactoperoxidase
Lactoferrin[10]
Immunoglobulin A[10]
Proline-rich proteins (function in enamel formation, Ca2+-binding, microbe killing and lubrication)[10]
Minor enzymes include salivary acid phosphatases A+B, N-acetylmuramoyl-L-alanine amidase, NAD(P)H dehydrogenase (quinone), superoxide dismutase, glutathione transferase, class 3 aldehyde dehydrogenase, glucose-6-phosphate isomerase, and tissue kallikrein (function unknown).[10]
Cells: Possibly as much as 8 million human and 500 million bacterial cells per mL. The presence of bacterial products (small organic acids, amines, and thiols) causes saliva to sometimes exhibit foul odor.
Opiorphin, a newly researched pain-killing substance found in human saliva.
Different reagents used to determine the content of saliva \1. Molisch test gives a positive result of purple color that is costituent to the presence of carbohydrates
That being said, all things considered, if you wish to apply your saliva to my genitals, I will not object. Somehow, I think I'll cope.
Skip down to the bold, important part if you would.
Produced in salivary glands, human saliva is 98% water, but it contains many important substances, including electrolytes, mucus, antibacterial compounds and various enzymes.[1]
It is a fluid containing:
Water
Electrolytes:
2-21 mmol/L sodium (lower than blood plasma)
10-36 mmol/L potassium (higher than plasma)
1.2-2.8 mmol/L calcium (similar to plasma)
0.08-0.5 mmol/L magnesium
5-40 mmol/L chloride (lower than plasma)
25 mmol/L bicarbonate (higher than plasma)
1.4-39 mmol/L phosphate
Iodine (mmol/L usually higher than plasma, but dependent variable according to dietary iodine intake)
Mucus. Mucus in saliva mainly consists of mucopolysaccharides and glycoproteins;
Antibacterial compounds (thiocyanate, hydrogen peroxide, and secretory immunoglobulin A)
Epidermal growth factor or EGF
Various enzymes. There are three major enzymes found in saliva.
α-amylase (EC3.2.1.1). Amylase starts the digestion of starch and lipase fat before the food is even swallowed. It has a pH optima of 7.4.
lingual lipase. Lingual lipase has a pH optimum ~4.0 so it is not activated until entering the acidic environment of the stomach.
Antimicrobial enzymes that kill bacteria.
Lysozyme
Salivary lactoperoxidase
Lactoferrin[10]
Immunoglobulin A[10]
Proline-rich proteins (function in enamel formation, Ca2+-binding, microbe killing and lubrication)[10]
Minor enzymes include salivary acid phosphatases A+B, N-acetylmuramoyl-L-alanine amidase, NAD(P)H dehydrogenase (quinone), superoxide dismutase, glutathione transferase, class 3 aldehyde dehydrogenase, glucose-6-phosphate isomerase, and tissue kallikrein (function unknown).[10]
Cells: Possibly as much as 8 million human and 500 million bacterial cells per mL. The presence of bacterial products (small organic acids, amines, and thiols) causes saliva to sometimes exhibit foul odor.
Opiorphin, a newly researched pain-killing substance found in human saliva.
Different reagents used to determine the content of saliva \1. Molisch test gives a positive result of purple color that is costituent to the presence of carbohydrates
That being said, all things considered, if you wish to apply your saliva to my genitals, I will not object. Somehow, I think I'll cope.