Lubrication behavior of ex-vivo salivary pellicle influenced by tannins, gallic acid and mannoproteins

The objective of this study was to investigate the influence of tannins and gallic acid on the salivary lubrication behavior. Furthermore, the effects of pH and mannoproteins in combination with gallic acid on the lubrication of saliva were studied. The addition of gallic acid and tannins were found to increase friction caused by the removal of the saliva film. Tannins resulted in higher friction compared to gallic acid. Lowering pH increased friction of gallic acid mixtures with saliva, due to stronger interactions between gallic acid and saliva. The increased friction caused by gallic acid was inhibited by the addition of mannoproteins due to the hydrogen bond interactions between gallic acid and mannoproteins, thereby decreasing the complex formation between gallic acid and salivary proteins. A correlation of 0.96 was found between the hydrodynamic diameter of the aggregate and the delta friction suggesting that the formation of aggregates determined the lubrication behavior.