Definition
Salivary alpha-amylase (sAA) is an enzyme thought to reflect stress-related changes in the body.
Description
Salivary measures have become increasingly important in behavioral medicine (Nater et al. 2013). Substances such as the hormone cortisol or the immune parameter salivary IgA can be measured in saliva as meaningful markers for various normal and pathological processes in the body. The salivary enzyme alpha-amylase (sAA) has been suggested to reflect stress-related changes in the body (Chatterton et al. 1996). Its secretion is elicited by activation of the autonomic nervous system (ANS) which controls the salivary glands.
Salivary alpha-amylase (α-1,4-α-d-glucan 4-glucanohydrolase; EC 3.2.1.1) is one of the most important enzymes in saliva. It accounts for 40–50% of the total salivary gland-produced protein, most of the enzyme being synthesized in the parotid glands (80% of the total). It is a calcium-containing metalloenzyme that hydrolyzes the α-1,4 linkages of...
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References and Further Reading
Chatterton, R. T., Jr., Vogelsong, K. M., Lu, Y. C., Ellman, A. B., & Hudgens, G. A. (1996). Salivary alpha-amylase as a measure of endogenous adrenergic activity. Clinical Physiology, 16(4), 433–448.
Ehlert, U., Erni, K., Hebisch, G., & Nater, U. (2006). Salivary alpha-amylase levels after yohimbine challenge in healthy men. The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism, 91(12), 5130–5133.
Linnemann, A., Strahler, J., & Nater, U. M. (2017). Assessing the effects of music listening on psychobiological stress in daily life. Journal of Visualized Experiments, (120). https://doi.org/10.3791/54920
Nater, U. M. (2018). The multidimensionality of stress and its assessment. Brain, Behavior, and Immunity 73, 159–160.
Nater, U. M., & Rohleder, N. (2009). Salivary alpha-amylase as a non-invasive biomarker for the sympathetic nervous system: Current state of research. Psychoneuroendocrinology, 34(4), 486–496.
Nater, U. M., Skoluda, N., & Strahler, J. (2013). Biomarkers of stress in behavioural medicine. Current Opinion in Psychiatry, 26(5), 440–445.
Rohleder, N., & Nater, U. M. (2009). Determinants of salivary alpha-amylase in humans and methodological considerations. Psychoneuroendocrinology, 34(4), 469–485.
Schumacher, S., Kirschbaum, C., Fydrich, T., & Strohle, A. (2013). Is salivary alpha-amylase an indicator of autonomic nervous system dysregulations in mental disorders?–a review of preliminary findings and the interactions with cortisol. Psychoneuroendocrinology, 38(6), 729–743.
Strahler, J., Skoluda, N., Kappert, M. B., & Nater, U. M. (2017). Simultaneous measurement of salivary cortisol and alpha-amylase: Application and recommendations. Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews, 83, 657–677.
van Stegeren, A., Rohleder, N., Everaerd, W., & Wolf, O. T. (2005). Salivary alpha amylase as marker for adrenergic activity during stress: Effect of betablockade. Psychoneuroendocrinology, 31, 137.
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Nater, U.M. (2018). Alpha-Amylase. In: Gellman, M. (eds) Encyclopedia of Behavioral Medicine. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-6439-6_2-2
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-6439-6_2-2
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Alpha-Amylase- Published:
- 18 June 2020
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-6439-6_2-3
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Alpha-Amylase- Published:
- 05 September 2018
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-6439-6_2-2