Transforming growth factor-β1 and its soluble receptor type 2 in saliva of young adults: Sex-related differences and predictive modeling of salivary concentrations

Abstract

Objective

To investigate and compare salivary presence and levels of Transforming Growth Factor-β1 (TGF-β1) and its soluble receptor type 2 (TGFBR2), along with the biochemical profile of the unstimulated whole saliva (UWS) of healthy young males and females; and to assess the potential of the predictive modeling for estimating the active TGF-β1 and TGFBR2 levels based on sex and individual salivary biochemical profile.

Design

Study sample included 20 participants, both sexes, with the median value of age being 20.00 (1.00) years. Total and active TGF-β1 and TGFBR2 levels were tested with ELISA. Biochemical analysis of saliva, including lactat dehydrogenase (LDH) activity and uric acid levels, was conducted via spectrophotometry. Salivary pH and buffer capacity were determined with potentiometry. To model the relationship of active TGF-β1 and TGFBR2 levels with sex and individual salivary biochemical profiles, multivariate regression analysis was employed.

Results

The median/mean values of active TGF-β1 (33.13 (27.26) vs. 14.24 (9.89) pg/ml, p = 0.013), uric acid (260.00 (136.00) vs. 199.00 (74.50) μmol/L, p = 0.031), and LDH activity (82.00 ± 45.23 vs. 42.40 ± 30.99 U/L, p = 0.035) were significantly higher in males vs. females, respectively. Multivariate regression method demonstrated 71.9 % accuracy in predicting the levels of active TGF-β1, while for TGFBR2 the accuracy was 86.01 %.

Conclusions

Salivary levels of active TGF-β1 are significantly higher in young healthy males compared to females. The multivariate regression model demonstrates promising predictive potential for estimating the levels of active TGF-β1 and TGFBR2 in young healthy individuals, based on sex and individual salivary biochemical profiles.