Statherin is an in vivo pellicle constituent: identification and immuno-quantification

Recently, we demonstrated that anti-statherin monoclonal antibodies could be generated upon immunisation of mice with in vivo formed human acquired enamel pellicle, indicating that statherin is a constituent of pellicle. To gain insight in the in vivo adsorption behaviour of statherin we tested the abundance of statherin in pellicle and investigated the relationship between statherin and protein levels in salivary secretions and pellicle using a capture ELISA. Statherin levels were approximately 20-fold higher in parotid and submandibular–sublingual secretions than in cleared whole saliva supernatant or pellicle, suggesting the rapid degradation of statherin in the oral cavity. A strong positive correlation was observed between statherin and protein levels in pellicle but not in saliva indicating that statherin and protein adsorption to pellicle are related processes. This indicates that statherin represents the integral part of proteins that constitute the pellicle structure and may play a key role in its formation.