Validation of ion chromatography for human salivary anionic analysis

Objective: Assess the applicability of ion chromatography (IC) for human saliva studies. Materials and methods: The behaviour of an ion chromatograph (DX-100, Dionex) in the analysis of human saliva was examined in the following respects: calibration, reproducibility, recovery, and effect of pre-treatment conditions (dilution, temperature). The eluents used were 1.7 mM NaHCO3 + 1.8 mM Na2CO3 + 100 mg/L p-cyanophenol (2 mL/min) and 1.6 mM perfluorobutyric acid + 0.3 mM sodium hydroxide (0.3 mL/min) for inorganic and organic anions, respectively. Results: The calibration curves were satisfactorily linear, but did not have unit slope (log–log plot) in the case of chloride, phosphate, sulphate and acetate. No significant effects were detected for centrifugation temperature, or between runs on the same occasion. Conclusion: IC appears to be a valuable technique well-suited to the efficient analysis of several salivary anions.