TY - JOUR
T1 - Bacteria in the oral mucosa and its effects on the measurement of cortisol, dehydroepiandrosterone, and testosterone in saliva
AU - Whembolua, Guy Lucien S.
AU - Granger, Douglas A.
AU - Singer, Sarany
AU - Kivlighan, Katie T.
AU - Marguin, Jeffrey A.
N1 - Funding Information:
This research was supported in part by the Child Youth and Families Consortium at The Pennsylvania State University. Thanks are due to Mary Curran and Vincent Nelson for the biotechnical support with assays.
PY - 2006/4
Y1 - 2006/4
N2 - Bacteria load in saliva was experimentally manipulated, and the consequences for the measurement of salivary testosterone (T), dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA), and cortisol (C) were examined. Healthy adults (n = 19) donated the first saliva sample upon rising after which they rinsed their mouths with water, waited 10 min, and donated a second sample. Samples were either left untreated or passed through a 0.22-μm filter and then frozen at -80°C or incubated at room temperature (RT) for 10 days. Aliquots of each sample were cultured on agar to determine baseline and post-incubation (or freezing) bacteria load. Bacteria counts were not significantly influenced by rinsing (with water), were substantially reduced by filtration, and increased by incubation at RT. Average levels of salivary T and C, but not DHEA, were significantly lower in samples stored at RT than samples frozen the day of collection. The change in bacteria count induced by storing samples at RT was associated with a change in testosterone but not cortisol or DHEA. When samples were passed through a 0.22-μm filter bacteria counts were reduced, and the association between bacteria and testosterone was reduced to non-significant. These findings contribute to a growing body of literature revealing that the process of sample collection, storage, and handling can dramatically influence the accuracy of information generated when salivary biomarkers are integrated into research and clinical diagnostics.
AB - Bacteria load in saliva was experimentally manipulated, and the consequences for the measurement of salivary testosterone (T), dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA), and cortisol (C) were examined. Healthy adults (n = 19) donated the first saliva sample upon rising after which they rinsed their mouths with water, waited 10 min, and donated a second sample. Samples were either left untreated or passed through a 0.22-μm filter and then frozen at -80°C or incubated at room temperature (RT) for 10 days. Aliquots of each sample were cultured on agar to determine baseline and post-incubation (or freezing) bacteria load. Bacteria counts were not significantly influenced by rinsing (with water), were substantially reduced by filtration, and increased by incubation at RT. Average levels of salivary T and C, but not DHEA, were significantly lower in samples stored at RT than samples frozen the day of collection. The change in bacteria count induced by storing samples at RT was associated with a change in testosterone but not cortisol or DHEA. When samples were passed through a 0.22-μm filter bacteria counts were reduced, and the association between bacteria and testosterone was reduced to non-significant. These findings contribute to a growing body of literature revealing that the process of sample collection, storage, and handling can dramatically influence the accuracy of information generated when salivary biomarkers are integrated into research and clinical diagnostics.
KW - Bacteria
KW - Salivary DHEA
KW - Salivary cortisol
KW - Salivary testosterone
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U2 - 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2005.10.005
DO - 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2005.10.005
M3 - Article
C2 - 16309679
AN - SCOPUS:33644864760
SN - 0018-506X
VL - 49
SP - 478
EP - 483
JO - Hormones and Behavior
JF - Hormones and Behavior
IS - 4
ER -