Abstract
Summary: Amylase activity was found in saliva from 13 infants, 26–42 wk corrected gestational age. The levels of salivary amylase activity increased with advancing age. In 10 infants, 31–38 wk corrected gestational age (estimated gestational age in wk plus age in wk after birth), gastric aspirates collected before a feeding and sequentially at 30-min intervals after two consecutive feedings were analyzed for amylase activity and pH. Two different postprandial patterns were obtained. For six of the 10 infants, both the pH and amylase activities of their gastric aspirates showed a distinct maxima at about 60 min after a feeding and a minima at 180 min just before the second feeding. In the remaining four infants, the pHs of their gastric aspirates remained relatively high (5.0–6.0) for the entire postprandial period. In these infants, there was a persistently high level of the amylase activity. In all 10 infants, amylase activity was found in their gastric aspirate samples when the pH was above 3.0. Comparison of the amylase in the gastric aspirate with purified pancreatic and salivary amylases by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis showed that the amylase in the gastric aspirate has an electro-phoretic mobility similar to that of salivary amylase, which suggests a salivary origin. This study supports the possibility that salivary amylase could enter the stomach and retain a significant amount of its activity in premature infants.
Similar content being viewed by others
Article PDF
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Hodge, C., Lebenthal, E., Lee, P. et al. Amylase in the Saliva and in the Gastric Aspirates of Premature Infants: Its Potential Role in Glucose Polymer Hydrolysis. Pediatr Res 17, 998–1001 (1983). https://doi.org/10.1203/00006450-198312000-00014
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1203/00006450-198312000-00014
This article is cited by
-
Role of salivary amylase in gastric and intestinal digestion of starch
Digestive Diseases and Sciences (1987)
-
Passage of salivary amylase through the stomach in humans
Digestive Diseases and Sciences (1987)