McIntyre I M, Norman T R, Burrows G D, Armstrong S M
J Pineal Res. 1987;4(2):177-83. doi: 10.1111/j.1600-079x.1987.tb00854.x.
Human plasma and saliva were collected at frequent intervals throughout the night and after a nocturnal challenge by exposure to 3,000 lx of light for 1 h in the middle of the night. Melatonin, as measured by radioimmunoassay, was found to correlate highly in plasma and saliva, described by a linear regression equation: y = 55x-2.6 (r = 0.90). The nocturnal melatonin rhythm in saliva was parallel to that observed in plasma. A good correlation was also observed between plasma and salivary melatonin on exposure to light. Melatonin in both fluids showed a significant fall during light exposure. Levels returned to normal nocturnal values within 2 h after returning to darkness. These results indicate that salivary melatonin, although lower than plasma melatonin, may be used as an index of pineal gland release of melatonin. It is suggested that saliva may be useful as a non-invasive technique for obtaining data on melatonin profiles, especially in pilot-test and screening situations.
在整个夜间频繁采集人体血浆和唾液样本，并在午夜对受试者进行一次夜间刺激，即暴露于3000勒克斯光照下1小时后再次采集。通过放射免疫分析法测定发现，血浆和唾液中的褪黑素高度相关，其线性回归方程为：y = 55x - 2.6（r = 0.90）。唾液中的夜间褪黑素节律与血浆中观察到的节律平行。在光照刺激下，血浆和唾液中的褪黑素之间也呈现出良好的相关性。在光照期间，两种体液中的褪黑素水平均显著下降。回到黑暗环境后2小时内，褪黑素水平恢复到夜间正常水平。这些结果表明，尽管唾液中的褪黑素低于血浆中的褪黑素，但唾液褪黑素仍可作为松果体释放褪黑素的一个指标。建议唾液可作为一种非侵入性技术，用于获取褪黑素水平数据，尤其是在初步试验和筛查情况下。
