Impaired Ratio of Unsaturated to Saturated Non-Esterified Fatty Acids in Saliva from Patients with Cystic Fibrosis

Impaired salivary non-esterified fatty acids (NEFA) levels have been previously observed in cystic fibrosis (CF). This study aimed to characterize the salivary NEFA profile in CF and to examine whether the alterations are related to the pancreatic status and/or lung disease severity. We analyzed salivary NEFA, cholesterol and interleukin-6 (IL-6) in CF patients (n = 66) and healthy subjects (n = 48). CF patients showed higher salivary levels of cholesterol, total NEFA (that was negatively correlated with serum triglycerides), unsaturated NEFA/saturated NEFA (U/S NEFA) ratio and IL-6 than controls. The U/S NEFA ratio was positively correlated with IL-6 in both patients and controls, suggesting an association between this parameter and local inflammation independently from the disease. No correlation between salivary lipids and pancreatic status was observed, while the U/S NEFA ratio was higher in patients with severe lung disease than mild/moderate severity and may represent a prognostic marker of lung disease in CF.