Thermal Stability Study of Human Salivary α-Amylase

Abstract

Saliva is a watery substance produced in the salivary glands. It contains 98 percent of water along with electrolytes, various enzymes, and antibacterial components. During the rise of forensic science, investigators used to collect blood, urine, and other biological fluids for personal identification, and over the last decade, there has been a growing interest in saliva and its use as a diagnostic tool and an alternative for blood and urine. The advantage of saliva over other fluids is its non-invasive methods for collection, even by individuals with limited training and avoidance of private functions while collection. Saliva can be a piece of evidence in crimes involving bite marks, lip prints, or in drinking cases. The saliva collected can be used to identify the species, sex, if there is any drug abuse, and also for individualization. Saliva consists of many enzymes, and the enzyme of our importance in salivary α-amylase. In this article, we have studied the stability of the salivary α-amylase enzyme at different temperatures and on different types of surfaces. It has been concluded from the study that the activity of the salivary α-amylase in human saliva decreases as the temperature and the time of deposition increases, which causes inactivation of the enzyme. Saliva being important biological evidence, it should be collected from the crime scene as soon as possible and should be preserved at low temperature immediately. The analysis of the sample should be carried out as early as possible to get accurate results.