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Objective: This investigation was a basal study that used a mouse model of xerostomia to identify protein biomarkers of xerostomia in saliva. We identified genes expressed differently in parotid glands from non-obese diabetic mice with diabetes and those from control mice; subsequently, we investigated expression of the proteins encoded by these genes in parotid glands and saliva., Materials and Methods: DNA microarray and real-time PCR analyses were performed to detect differences between NOD/ShiJcl and C57BL/6JJcl (control) female mice in gene expression from parotid glands or parotid acinar cells. Subsequently, protein expression was assessed using immunoblotting and immunohistochemistry. Similarly, enzyme activity in saliva was assessed using zymography., Results: Based on gene expression analyses, Chia expression was higher in diabetic mice than non-diabetic mice and control mice; similarly, expression of chitinase, the protein encoded by Chia, was higher in diabetic mice. Saliva from NOD/ShiJcl mice had more chitinase than saliva from control mice., Conclusions: Chitinase was highly expressed in parotid acinar cells from diabetic mice compared with non-diabetic and control mice. Increased chitinase expression and enzyme activity may characterize the autoimmune diabetes in mice; however, further investigation is required to assess its use as a biomarker of xerostomia in humans., (© 2012 John Wiley & Sons A/S.)

The in vitro secreted aspartyl proteinase (SAP) activity of Candida albicans isolated from a variety of oral conditions, including healthy oral cavities, was determined. SAP activity (units/10(6) cells/ml, +/-SD) was 0.28 +/- 0.33 for pseudomembranous candidosis isolates (n = 18), 0.35 +/- 0.46 for chronic erythematous candidosis isolates (n = 21) and 0.30 +/- 0.32 for chronic hyperplastic candidosis isolates (n = 50). SAP activity of 0.19 +/- 0.22 was recorded for isolates from squamous cell carcinoma (n = 18), 0.26 +/- 0.37 for burning mouth syndrome isolates (n = 29), 0.25 +/- 0.38 for isolates from xerostomia (n = 15) and 0.39 +/- 0.50 for isolates from lichen planus (n = 13). The SAP activity of isolates from oral disease states was significantly (P < 0.05) higher than that recorded for 28 isolates from healthy mouths (activity of 0.04 +/- 0.03). However, there was no significant difference in the SAP activity between the three forms of clinical oral candidosis (P > 0.05). SAP activity was inhibited in control samples containing the SAP inhibitor, pepstatin A. These results indicate that C. albicans strains associated with oral disease have inherently higher SAP activity.