Low parotid saliva calmodulin in patients with taste and smell dysfunction.

Parotid saliva calmodulin was found both in 32 normal volunteers and in 60 patients with taste and smell dysfunction; salivary calmodulin concentration was significantly lower in the patients than in the volunteers. There were no differences in salivary calmodulin concentration with respect to age, sex, or salivary flow rate in either normal volunteers or patients. When patients were categorized by diagnosis, calmodulin concentration was found to be decreased in all patient groups. The concentration of calmodulin in saliva was about 10 times that found in serum, suggesting that the parotid gland is a major source of this protein.