Majem Blanca, Rigau Marina, Reventós Jaume, Wong David T
Research Unit in Biomedicine and Translational Oncology, Lab 209, Collserola Building, Vall Hebron Research Institute (VHIR) and University Hospital, Pg. Vall Hebron 119-129, 08035 Barcelona, Spain.
IDIBELL-Bellvitge Biomedical Research Institute & Universitat Internacional de Catalunya, 08908 Barcelona, Spain.
Int J Mol Sci. 2015 Apr 17;16(4):8676-98. doi: 10.3390/ijms16048676.
Saliva is a complex body fluid that comprises secretions from the major and minor salivary glands, which are extensively supplied by blood. Therefore, molecules such as proteins, DNA, RNA, etc., present in plasma could be also present in saliva. Many studies have reported that saliva body fluid can be useful for discriminating several oral diseases, but also systemic diseases including cancer. Most of these studies revealed messenger RNA (mRNA) and proteomic biomarker signatures rather than specific non-coding RNA (ncRNA) profiles. NcRNAs are emerging as new regulators of diverse biological functions, playing an important role in oncogenesis and tumor progression. Indeed, the small size of these molecules makes them very stable in different body fluids and not as susceptible as mRNAs to degradation by ribonucleases (RNases). Therefore, the development of a non-invasive salivary test, based on ncRNAs profiles, could have a significant applicability to clinical practice, not only by reducing the cost of the health system, but also by benefitting the patient. Here, we summarize the current status and clinical implications of the ncRNAs present in human saliva as a source of biological information.
唾液是一种复杂的体液，它包含来自大、小唾液腺的分泌物，这些腺体有丰富的血液供应。因此，血浆中存在的诸如蛋白质、DNA、RNA等分子也可能存在于唾液中。许多研究报告称，唾液不仅可用于鉴别多种口腔疾病，还能用于鉴别包括癌症在内的全身性疾病。这些研究大多揭示的是信使RNA（mRNA）和蛋白质组学生物标志物特征，而非特定的非编码RNA（ncRNA）谱。ncRNAs正成为多种生物学功能的新型调节因子，在肿瘤发生和肿瘤进展中发挥着重要作用。事实上，这些分子体积小，使其在不同体液中非常稳定，不像mRNA那样容易被核糖核酸酶（RNases）降解。因此，基于ncRNAs谱开发一种非侵入性唾液检测方法，不仅可以降低卫生系统成本，还能使患者受益，在临床实践中可能具有重要的适用性。在此，我们总结了人类唾液中存在的ncRNAs作为生物信息来源的现状及其临床意义。
