On saliva structures

Abstract

Structures in human saliva were demonstrated using flash freezing, sectioning, fixing/staining and microscopic examinations. The microarchitecture and staining patterns of these structures and interactions with cellular material indicate the presence of the following salivary compartments: (1) a continuous water‐based electrolyte, (2) a continuous scaffold‐like network of amphiphilic macromolecules, (3) network cores with e.g. EGF/NGF‐activities, and (4) dispersed lipoid droplets. Through some acellular ingestion, networks and cores seem to engulf and pack objects like microorganisms and epithelial cells. This scavenging power and the ability of saliva to donate substances promoting wound healing provides an explanation for the instinctive sucking/licking of wounds observed in animals and humans.