ABSTRACT
The amino acid compositions of pellicles formed in vitro from submandibular, parotid, and mixed saliva were determined and compared. Samples of the total pellicles as well as the relatively acid-soluble supernates and acid-insoluble sediments were collected and analyzed. In each instance striking differences in composition between the pellicle and the saliva from which it was formed indicate that pellicle formation is a highly selective process. The similarity in composition of the total and fractionated submandibular-parotid pellicle samples indicated a representative dissolution of the total mixed pellicle in the collection acid, rather than a preferential dissolution of part of the total pellicle. In the case of the pellicles formed from the isolated submandibular and parotid salivas, the supernate and the total pellicle were quite similar in composition, but differed somewhat from the sediment. Those results indicate that most of the salivary pellicle is soluble in the dilute acid used to collect the pellicle, and that a portion of the total submandibular or parotid salivary pellicle dissolves preferentially. The compositions of the total parotid pellicle and the parotid supernate and sediment were remarkable similar to the counterparts formed from submandibular saliva alone, suggesting similar origins and mechanisms of formation.
Subject(s)
Amino Acids/analysis , Dental Deposits/analysis , Saliva/analysis , Blood Group Antigens , Chemical Fractionation , Dental Deposits/immunology , Dental Deposits/microbiology , Dental Pellicle , Dialysis , Glutamates/analysis , Glycine/analysis , Hemagglutination Inhibition Tests , Hemagglutination, Viral , Humans , Parotid Gland , Proline/analysis , Salivary Proteins and Peptides/analysis , Serine/analysis , Solubility , Submandibular GlandABSTRACT
The carbohydrate compositions of pellicles formed in vivo and others formed in vitro from submandibular, parotid, and mixed (submandibular-parotid) saliva were determined using gas-liquid chromatography. Samples of the total pellicles as well as the relatively acid-soluble supernates and acid-insoluble sediments were collected, analyzed, and compared. The differences in carbohydrates composition between the supernates and sediments, particularly in the in vivo and in vitro mixed salivary pellicles, suggest that the total pellicle is composed of more than one component. In each instance obvious differences in composition between th pellicle and the saliva from which it was formed indicated that pellicle formation is a highly selective process. Glucose:galactose ratios of approximately 1:1 were found in each of the total pellicles. These data suggest that at least one pellicle component is an unusual glycoprotein in that it contains high levels of glucose. The total submandibular salivary pellicle and both its fractions were remarkably similar in carbohydrate composition to the counterparts formed from parotid saliva alone. The data strongly suggest that there are present in both submandibular and parotid saliva similar glycoproteins that are selectively deposited onto etched enamel as the initial pellicle.
