What diseases can saliva cure? Uncovering the amazing medical potential of saliva
In recent years, scientific research has continued to reveal a variety of medical uses of saliva, from wound healing to disease diagnosis, saliva’s miraculous effects are amazing. This article will combine the hot topics and hot content on the Internet in the past 10 days to provide you with a detailed analysis of the medical value of saliva, and present relevant research progress in structured data.
1. Composition and function of saliva
Saliva is primarily composed of water, electrolytes, mucus, antimicrobial proteins, and digestive enzymes, many of which have active ingredients with therapeutic potential. Here are the key ingredients in saliva and their functions:
| Ingredients | Function |
|---|---|
| Lysozyme | Antibacterial, antiviral |
| Lactoferrin | Inhibit bacterial growth and promote wound healing |
| Epidermal growth factor (EGF) | Accelerate tissue repair |
| amylase | Helps digest carbohydrates |
2. What diseases can saliva treat?
Scientific research shows that saliva has significant therapeutic or adjunctive therapeutic effects in the following areas:
| Disease/Symptoms | The role of saliva | Research progress |
|---|---|---|
| Oral ulcers | Antibacterial, speeds healing | Clinical experiments confirm that EGF in saliva can shorten healing time |
| skin wound | Promote cell regeneration | Animal experiments show saliva extract reduces scarring |
| diabetes | Non-invasive blood glucose monitoring | Saliva glucose detection technology is under development |
| early cancer screening | Detect tumor markers | Saliva testing already used in some oral and breast cancer studies |
3. Latest progress in salivary diagnostic technology
In the past 10 days, hot topics regarding saliva diagnostic technology in the global scientific research field include:
1.Saliva test for coronavirus: The US FDA has approved a number of rapid saliva testing kits, which are more convenient than nasopharyngeal swabs.
2.Salivary Alzheimer's Screening: A Japanese research team discovered that a specific protein in saliva can provide an early warning of Alzheimer's disease.
3.Artificial intelligence analyzes saliva: Chinese scientists develop an AI model to predict cardiovascular disease risk through saliva metabolites.
4. Scientific verification of folk therapies
There has always been a folk saying that "licking wounds can disinfect", and science has proven part of its rationality:
| folk remedies | scientific basis | Things to note |
|---|---|---|
| Saliva applied to mosquito bites | Lysozyme relieves itching | Disabled when there is bacterial infection in the mouth |
| Saliva treats minor burns | EGF may promote repair | Only first-degree burns, severe burns require medical attention |
5. Future Outlook
With the development of biotechnology, saliva may become an important carrier for "liquid biopsy". Recent hot spots show:
- Google Health is developing saliva-based technology to detect Parkinson's disease;
- National University of Singapore successfully used saliva nanosensors to detect heavy metal poisoning;
- Saliva instead of blood testing will become an important breakthrough direction in medical technology in the next 10 years.
Conclusion
From ancient folk remedies to modern precision medicine, the medical value of saliva is constantly being explored. Although most applications are still in the research stage, its non-invasive and convenient characteristics are destined to play an important role in future medical care. It is recommended that the public pay attention to the progress of authoritative scientific research and view the therapeutic potential of saliva rationally.
(The full text is about 850 words in total, and the data is as of the latest research in October 2023)
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