2.3.3. Mucosal Immunity
AMS
Saliva samples were gathered before and after the subjects took the supplements. The subjects were requested to sit still for 10 min before sample collection in the morning. Each subject’s head was tilted slightly forward and then to the side, and the mouth was opened for unstimulated saliva flow directly into a 5 mL plastic test tube. Samples were centrifuged and stored in a −80°C refrigerator until assaying. The levels of SIgA, β-defensin (β-DF), α-amylase (AMS), and lysozyme (LZM) were determined using commercial ELISA kits provided by Shanghai Jianglai Biotechnology Co., Ltd. (Shanghai, China).