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Analysis of Volatile Organic Compounds in Human Saliva by a Static Sorptive Extraction Method and Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry

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Abstract

Human saliva not only helps control oral health (with anti-microbial proteins), but it may also play a role in chemical communication. As is the case with other mammalian species, human saliva contains peptides, proteins, and numerous volatile organic compounds (VOCs). A high-throughput analytical method is described for profiling a large number of saliva samples to screen the profiles of VOCs. Saliva samples were collected in a non-stimulated fashion. The method utilized static stir bar extraction followed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). The method provided excellent reproducibility for a wide range of salivary compounds, including alcohols, aldehydes, ketones, carboxylic acids, esters, amines, amides, lactones, and hydrocarbons. Furthermore, substantial overlap of salivary VOCs and the previously reported skin VOCs in the same subject group was found in this study by using pattern recognition analyses. Sensitivity, precision, and reproducibility of the method suggest that this technique has potential in physiological, metabolomic, pharmacokinetic, forensic, and toxicological studies of small organic compounds where a large number of human saliva samples are involved.

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Acknowledgments

This work was sponsored jointly by Lilly Chemistry Alumni Chair (Indiana University), and the Indiana METACyt Initiative, funded in part through a major grant from the Lilly Endowment to Indiana University, and ARO Contract DAAD19-03-1-0215. Approved for Public Release, Distribution Unlimited.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute for Pheromone Research and Department of Chemistry, Indiana University, 800 E Kirkwood Ave., Bloomington, IN, 47405, USA

    Helena A. Soini, Iveta Klouckova, Donald Wiesler & Milos V. Novotny

  2. Department for Anthropology, University of Vienna, Althanstrasse 14, 1090, Vienna, Austria

    Elisabeth Oberzaucher & Karl Grammer

  3. Centre for Chemometrics, School of Chemistry, University of Bristol, Cantocks Close, Bristol, BS8 1TS, UK

    Sarah J. Dixon, Yun Xu & Richard G. Brereton

  4. Konrad Lorenz Institute for Ethology, Austrian Academy of Sciences, Savoyenstr. 1a, 1160, Vienna, Austria

    Dustin J. Penn

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  1. Helena A. Soini
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  2. Iveta Klouckova
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  3. Donald Wiesler
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  4. Elisabeth Oberzaucher
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  5. Karl Grammer
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  6. Sarah J. Dixon
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  7. Yun Xu
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  9. Dustin J. Penn
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  10. Milos V. Novotny
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Correspondence to Milos V. Novotny.

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Soini, H.A., Klouckova, I., Wiesler, D. et al. Analysis of Volatile Organic Compounds in Human Saliva by a Static Sorptive Extraction Method and Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry. J Chem Ecol 36, 1035–1042 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10886-010-9846-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10886-010-9846-7

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