An amylase is an enzyme that catalyses the hydrolysis break down of starch into sugars.
Where is it present?
Amylase is present in the saliva of humans and some other mammals, where it begins the chemical process of digestion and also in the pancreas.
Types: Salivary amylase and pancreatic amylase
pH: 5.2 to 7
Function:
- In the mouth, Salivary amylase breaks down carbohydrates into simple sugars
- In the pancreas, Pancreatic amylase breaks down starch furthermore to glucose which moves on into our bloodstream to be used for energy.
- Amylase also act as an indicator for example people with metabolic syndrome are more likely to have low serum amylase levels.
Dysbiosis of salivary microbiome affect Gut diseases:
- It is known that gut microbiota is involved in the pathogenesis of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), mainly Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis.
- Recent studies showed increased frequency of oral manifestations among IBD patients, indicating abnormality in the oral microbiota. The composition of salivary microbiota of 35 IBD patients was analyzed by 454 pyrosequencing of the bacterial 16S rRNA gene and compared it with that of 24 healthy controls. It was found that the dominant genera- Streptococcus, Prevotella, Neisseria, Haemophilus, Veillonella, and Gemella, were found to largely contribute to dysbiosis observed in the salivary microbiota of IBD patients.
- Immunological biomarkers in the saliva of IBD patients was also analyzed and it showed elevated levels of many inflammatory cytokines and immunoglobulin A, and a lower lysozyme level. Lysozyme is an antimicrobial protein and it plays an important role in the host constitutive defense system. This concluded that dysbiosis of salivary microbiota is associated with inflammatory responses in IBD patients, suggesting that it is possibly linked to dysbiosis of their gut microbiota.
Can Salivary microbiome affect obesity?
- Salivary microbiome in obese and normal weight healthy participants were investigated and these two groups were created based on their BMI (Body Mass Index).
- The salivary microbiome of people with obesity had significantly lower bacterial diversity and richness compared with the healthy people. The genus Prevotella, Granulicatella, Peptostreptococcus, Solobacterium, Catonella, and Mogibacterium were significantly more abundant in the obesity group; meanwhile the genus Haemophilus, Corynebacterium, Capnocytophaga, and Staphylococcus were less abundant in the obesity group.
- A functional analysis of the metagenomes (study of the structure and function of entire genetic sequences isolated and analyzed from microbes) was also performed and it showed that the salivary community associated with obesity had a stronger signature of immune disease and a decreased functional signature related to environmental adaptation and Xenobiotics (a chemical compound (such as a drug, pesticide, or carcinogen) that is foreign or not known to a living organism) biodegradation compared with the normal weight controls.
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