Saliva collection and relationship between lactate concentration in blood and saliva of exercising horses

The aims of this study were to examine whether sufficient volumes of saliva can be collected for lactate analysis in exercising horses and to establis h the relationship between blood and saliva lactate concentration Saliva wa s collected for 30 seconds after exercise with a commercially available cot ton swab Salivette(R) from two sites: At the height of the 3rd premolar in the maxilla (upper site) and under the tongue at the level of the frenulum linguae (lower site). Blood was taken from the jugular vein Horses were sub mitted to two types of standardized exercise on a treadmill: Continuous exe rcise and an incremental exercise step test. The average (+/- standard deviation) volume of saliva sampled at the upper site was 390 +/- 280 mu l and at the lower site 450 +/- 310 mu l. The lacta te concentration in saliva after continuous exercise sampled at the upper s ite was 2.21 +/- 1.97 mmol/l, and at the lower site it was 3.76 +/- 2.31 mm ol/l. There was no significant correlation between lactate concentration in blood and upper site saliva, and blood and lower site saliva after continu ous exercise and during incremental exercise step test.