Potential of Saliva in Stroke Patients: A Review

Cerebral strokes have been a global problem for many decades. Interest in saliva as a diagnostic material has grown substantially. The ease of collection, minimal invasiveness and low storage costs make saliva particularly well suited for diagnostic and therapeutic applications. Research shows that markers detected in blood can also be found in saliva, opening up the possibility of using this biofluid for clinical purposes. The aim of this paper is to review current knowledge on salivary biomarkers in stroke patients. Among the markers detected in the saliva of stroke patients are indicators of antioxidant capacity (e.g., reduced glutathione and uric acid), oxidative (e.g., malondialdehyde, advanced oxidation protein products) and nitrosative stress (e.g., peroxynitrite), inflammation (pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines) and others. The levels of many salivary biomarkers correlate with the severity of disease, organ complications and may serve as valuable tools for the differential stroke diagnosis. The collective findings of these studies underscore the potential clinical applications of salivary biomarkers in stroke. However, considerable obstacles such as methodological heterogeneity, limited differential diagnostic studies, small cohorts, and insufficient standardization of saliva collection and oral health assessment impede their clinical implementation. Establishing standardized saliva collection protocols and reference values for key parameters is crucial. Identifying biomarkers in saliva lays the groundwork for developing innovative tools to analyze and accurately assess stroke patients.