Spatially and temporally resolved metabolome of the human oral cavity
Alessio Ciurli,
Yassene Mohammed,
Christine Ammon,
Rico J.E. Derks,
Damien Olivier-Jimenez,
Quinten R. Ducarmon,
Marije Slingerland,
Jacques Neefjes,
Martin Giera
Affiliations
Alessio Ciurli
Oncode Institute and Cell and Chemical Biology, Leiden University Medical Center, 2333 ZA Leiden, the Netherlands; Center for Proteomics and Metabolomics, Leiden University Medical Center, 2333 ZA Leiden, the Netherlands
Yassene Mohammed
Center for Proteomics and Metabolomics, Leiden University Medical Center, 2333 ZA Leiden, the Netherlands
Christine Ammon
Center for Proteomics and Metabolomics, Leiden University Medical Center, 2333 ZA Leiden, the Netherlands
Rico J.E. Derks
Center for Proteomics and Metabolomics, Leiden University Medical Center, 2333 ZA Leiden, the Netherlands
Damien Olivier-Jimenez
Center for Proteomics and Metabolomics, Leiden University Medical Center, 2333 ZA Leiden, the Netherlands
Quinten R. Ducarmon
Structural and Computational Biology Unit, European Molecular Biology Laboratory, Heidelberg, Germany; Department of Medical Microbiology, Leiden University Medical Center, 2333 ZA Leiden, the Netherlands
Marije Slingerland
Department of Medical Oncology, Leiden University Medical Center, 2333 ZA Leiden, the Netherlands
Jacques Neefjes
Oncode Institute and Cell and Chemical Biology, Leiden University Medical Center, 2333 ZA Leiden, the Netherlands
Martin Giera
Center for Proteomics and Metabolomics, Leiden University Medical Center, 2333 ZA Leiden, the Netherlands; Corresponding author
Summary: Saliva is a complex bodily fluid composed of secretions by major and minor salivary glands. Salivary glands and their secretions are known to be unevenly distributed in the human oral cavity. Moreover, saliva flow rate and composition vary across locations and time of the day. This remarkable heterogeneity of salivary secretions suggests that different subtypes of saliva fulfill different functions. By coupling a non-invasive and facile collection method with comprehensive metabolomic profiling, we investigated the spatial and temporal distributions of salivary components. We identified location-specific metabolite profiles, novel oscillating metabolites, and location-specific diurnal patterns. In summary, our study paves the way for a deeper and more comprehensive understanding of the complex dynamics and functionalities of the salivary metabolome and its integration in multi-omics studies related to oral and systemic (patho-)physiology.
