Human salivary epidermal growth factor, haptocorrin and amylase before and after prolonged exercise.

The concentration of epidermal growth factor (EGF), amylase, haptocorrin, total protein, sodium and potassium was studied in mixed saliva collected from 25 individuals before and after a 2 h-long cross-country race. The concentration was higher following the run for all components studied. The concentrations obtained before and after the run, given as extreme values and median, are 0.2-1.3 (0.4), 0.3-1.5 (0.8) nmol/l for EGF, 15-72 (25), 23-162 (58) nmol/l for haptocorrin and 24-502 (120), 155-5,030 (1,200) kU/l for amylase. The increased concentration of the components studied is most probably caused by an increased adrenergic and VIP'ergic tonus of the individuals after the run.