Glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide and insulin-like immunoreactivity in saliva following sham-fed and swallowed meals.

Gastrointestinal peptides, including insulin, glucagon and glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide (GIP) have previously been reported in salivary glands. Recent evidence has suggested they might influence postprandial macronutrient metabolism. This study therefore investigated and compared postprandial hormone concentrations in saliva and plasma to determine whether their secretion was influenced by oral food stimuli. In a within-subject randomised cross-over comparison of hormone concentrations in plasma and saliva following a mixed meal, 12 subjects were given two 1708 kJ mixed meals. On one occasion the meal was chewed and swallowed (swallowed meal), on the other it was chewed and expectorated (sham-fed meal). Salivary and plasma levels of immunoreactive insulin, GIP and glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1), total protein, alpha-amylase, glucose and non-esterified fatty acid were measured before and for 90 min following the meals. Saliva total protein and alpha-amylase rose following both meals, indicating that the stimulus for salivary protein release is related to the presence of food in the mouth. GLP-1 was not detected in saliva. Fasting salivary insulin levels were lower in saliva than plasma (28+/-6 vs 40+/-25 pmol/l respectively). Both increased following the swallowed meal but the rise in saliva was slower and less marked than in plasma (peak levels 96+/-18 and 270+/-66 pmol/l for saliva and plasma respectively, P<0.01). Both were unchanged following the sham-fed meal. GIP was detected in saliva. Fasting GIP levels were significantly higher in saliva than plasma (183+/-23 compared with 20+/-7 pmol/l, P<0.01). They decreased in saliva following both swallowed and sham-fed meals to nadirs of 117+/-17 and 71+/-12 pmol/l respectively, but rose following the swallowed meal to peak levels of 268+/-66 pmol/l. These findings are consistent with insulin in saliva being an ultrafiltrate of that circulating in blood, but GIP in saliva being the product of local salivary gland synthesis, whose secretion is influenced, directly or indirectly, by oral stimuli. The function of salivary GIP is unknown, but we speculate that it may play a role in the regulation of gastric acid secretion in the fasting state.

Effects of Gypsum Soil Amendments on Avocado Growth, Soil Drainage, and Resistance to Phytophthora cinnamomi.

Infection of avocado seedlings by Phytophthora cinnamomi in infested soil was decreased by 71% by the addition of gypsum soil amendments in replicated greenhouse experiments. Root weights and total seedling weights were not significantly increased by gypsum amendments compared with unamended soil; however, the significant reduction in total seedling weight and root weight caused by P. cinnamomi was largely eliminated by the addition of gypsum. Fresh organic matter amendments alone did not significantly affect the total fresh weight or root weight of avocado seedlings. Root fresh weight was decreased in uninfested soil amended with 5% gypsum and organic matter, but in infested soils, the same treatment increased root fresh weight. Root fresh weight of mature avocado trees in an uninfested grove was not significantly affected by gypsum soil amendments. Avocado seedlings grown in gypsum-amended soil and the roots inoculated with suspensions of Phytophthora cinnamomi zoospores were no more resistant than seedlings grown in unamended soil. Permeability of avocado root membranes, as determined by the amount of 86Rb exuded from root segments over time, was unaffected by growth in gypsum-amended soil. Infiltration of water into soil amended with fine-grade gypsum was impeded initially; whereas soil amended with coarse drywall gypsum drained faster than unamended soil. Drainage was not correlated with root infection of avocados grown in soil infested with P. cinnamomi and amended with gypsum. It appears that large reductions in infection of avocado seedlings by P. cinnamomi in gypsum-amended soil are not caused by an avocado growth response, increased root resistance, or reduced root membrane permeability. Infection is not markedly affected by poor drainage when the soil is amended with high levels of gypsum.

Effects of Gypsum on Zoospores and Sporangia of Phytophthora cinnamomi in Field Soil.

Sporangial production of Phytophthora cinnamomi buried in gypsum-amended avocado soil for 2 days was reduced by as much as 74% in greenhouse trials. P. cinnamomi sporangial volume was reduced an average of 64% in gypsum-amended soil. Soil extracts from gypsum-amended soil reduced in vitro sporangial production and volume. Irrigation with gypsum solutions of buried mycelium in unamended soil also reduced sporangial production and volume. Zoospore production and colony-forming units of P. cinnamomi were reduced in soil amended with calcium sulfate, calcium nitrate, or calcium carbonate. Zoospore encystment or passive movement through soil was not significantly affected by gypsum soil amendments.