Advances in Biology & Earth Sciences

This study is devoted to the extensive comparative assessment of the survival duration of Paramecium caudatum in saliva samples from patients in the main group suffering from class III obesity and healthy individuals in the control group. A total of 80 voluntary participants were included in the study (40 patients with class III obesity and 40 healthy individuals). Unstimulated saliva samples were collected from each participant in the morning on an empty stomach. A laboratory-cultured suspension of Paramecium caudatum was added to each sample and the number of viable protozoan cells was monitored under a light microscope at 15-minute intervals across 9 time points over a 120-minute observation period. The results demonstrated that the survival duration of Paramecium caudatum in the saliva of patients with class III obesity was significantly lower, in statistical terms, compared to that of the healthy control group. Our research indicates that the salivary environment in obese individuals is significantly less favorable for protozoan viability compared to that of non-obese individuals. This finding provides novel insights into the impact of obesity on the oral microenvironment and the survivability of microorganisms. The primary factors underlying this difference may include obesity-induced alterations in the oral environment such as decreased salivary pH, reductions in antimicrobial enzymes and secretory IgA, accompanied by an increase in proteolytic activity. The shortened survival time of Paramecium caudatum in obese saliva reflects a combination of a weakened mucosal barrier and increased proteolytic stress. The obtained results highlight the potential of saliva-based protozoan models in the diagnosis of metabolic disorders through the oral biochemical environment. The reduced survival time of Paramecium caudatum in the saliva of individuals with obesity confirms the impact of obesity on the oral microenvironment. This approach may serve as a non-invasive diagnostic marker in the future.