Adiponectin: Serum-saliva associations and relations with oral and systemic markers of inflammation

- Salivary adiponectin was positively correlated with salivary inflammatory activity.
- Salivary and serum adiponectin were not related to serum inflammatory activity.
- Serum and salivary adiponectin were moderately positively correlated.
- Adjusting for oral inflammation improved the adiponectin serum-saliva correlation.

This study addresses gaps in our understanding about the validity and utility of using salivary adiponectin to index serum adiponectin levels. Matched blood and saliva samples were collected on a single occasion from healthy adults (n = 99; age 18-36 years, 53% male). Serum and saliva was assayed for adiponectin and inflammatory cytokines (IL-1β, IL-6, IL-8, TNFα), and saliva was also assayed for markers of blood contamination (transferrin), total protein (salivary flow rate) and matrix metalloproteinase-8 (MMP-8). We examined the extent to which salivary adiponectin was associated with serum adiponectin, and the influence of potential confounders on the serum-saliva correlation, including age, sex, body mass index, and markers of inflammation, oral health, salivary blood contamination, and flow rate. Findings revealed a modest serum-saliva association for adiponectin, and strong positive associations between salivary adiponectin and salivary levels of inflammatory cytokines, MMP-8, transferrin, and total protein. By contrast, salivary adiponectin was not related to serum levels of inflammatory activity. The magnitude of the serum-saliva association was strengthened when controlling for total protein in saliva, blood leakage into oral fluid, salivary inflammatory cytokines, and MMP-8. The pattern of findings extends our understanding of salivary adiponectin and its potential use as an index of circulating adiponectin levels.