Evidence map›Paper›PMID 34235559›Full record

ArticleJournal of comparative physiology. B, Biochemical, systemic, and environmental physiology2021

Nutritional influences on enzyme activities in saliva of Asian and African elephants.

Carolin Boehlke, Sabrina Schuster, Lucas Kauthe, Oliver Zierau, Christian Hannig

Open access · hybridAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Journal of comparative physiology. B, Biochemical, systemic, and environmental physiology, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact, top 90% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed, 1 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Preliminary Investigation on Salivary Enzymes of Massese Sheep.Animals : an open access journal from MDPI · 2026
    Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

5 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.

Carolin BoehlkeInstitute of Zoology, Molecular Cell Physiology and Endocrinology, TU Dresden, Zellescher Weg 20b, 01062, Dresden, Germany. carolin.boehlke@tu-dresden.de.
Sabrina SchusterInstitute of Zoology, Molecular Cell Physiology and Endocrinology, TU Dresden, Zellescher Weg 20b, 01062, Dresden, Germany.
Lucas KautheInstitute of Zoology, Molecular Cell Physiology and Endocrinology, TU Dresden, Zellescher Weg 20b, 01062, Dresden, Germany.
Oliver ZierauInstitute of Zoology, Molecular Cell Physiology and Endocrinology, TU Dresden, Zellescher Weg 20b, 01062, Dresden, Germany.
Christian HannigPoliclinic of Operative and Pediatric Dentistry, Faculty of Medicine 'Carl Gustav Carus', TU Dresden, Fetscherstraße 74, 01307, Dresden, Germany.
TU Dresden · DE

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Asian and African elephants show morphological adaptations to their ecological niche including the oral cavity. Variety and preferences of forage plants differ between both herbivorous elephant species. Diet can affect salivary enzymes. Asian elephants were shown to have a higher salivary amylase activity than African elephants. Species-specific differences were presumed to be influenced by feeding during collection procedure. This study aimed to determine the influence of feeding on enzyme activities in saliva of both elephant species to differentiate from species-specific effects. Additionally, season and housing conditions on salivary enzyme activities in non-fed elephants of both species were investigated. Salivary amylase (sAA), lysozyme (sLYS) and peroxidase (sPOD) activity were measured photometrically or fluorometrically. Results of this study reinforce previous observations of higher basic sAA activity in Asian elephants compared to African elephants. Salivary LYS and sPOD activity showed neither species-specific nor housing-specific differences. Independent from season, most elephants of both species revealed a lack of or low sPOD activity. Feeding caused a temporary decrease of sAA, sLYS and sPOD activity in both elephant species kept in four of eight tested zoos. Furthermore, sAA activity in Asian elephants was higher and sLYS activity lower in Spring than in Autumn. This study summarizes that sAA and sLYS are components of Asian and African elephant saliva in an active conformation in contrast to sPOD. Diet varying between season and zoos might influence sAA and sLYS activities primarily in Asian elephants but temporary low effects suggest sufficient buffer capacity of elephant saliva of both species.

Indexed as

ElephantsAnimalsDietEcosystemSalivaSeasonsAmylaseElephantLysozymeNutritionPeroxidaseSalivary enzymes

Identifiers

PMID34235559
PMCPMC8380575
OpenAlexW3180414113

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.