Non-invasive determination of uric acid in human saliva in the diagnosis of serious disorders

This review summarizes and critically evaluates the published approaches and recent trends in sample pretreatment, as well as both separation and non-separation techniques used for the determination of uric acid (UA) in saliva. UA is the final product of purine nucleotide catabolism in humans. UA concentrations in biological fluids such as serum, plasma, and urine represent an important biomarker of diseases including gout, hyperuricemia, or disorders associated with oxidative stress. Previous studies reported correlation between UA concentrations detected in saliva and in the blood. The interest in UA has been increasing during the past 20 years from a single publication in 2000 to 34 papers in 2019 according to MEDLINE search using term uric acid in saliva. The evaluation of salivary UA levels can contribute to non-invasive diagnosis of many serious diseases. Increased salivary UA concentration is associated with cancer, HIV, gout, and hypertension. In contrast, low UA levels are associated with Alzheimer disease, progression of multiple sclerosis, and mild cognitive impairment.

Automated summary

This review highlights the advancements in sample pretreatment and detection techniques for uric acid in saliva, emphasizing the correlation between salivary UA levels and various diseases. Salivary UA concentration could potentially serve as a non-invasive diagnostic marker for a range of serious illnesses.