Salivary Biomarkers in Endocrinology: Advances in Development, Validation, and Clinical and Public Health Applications

Saliva is increasingly recognized as a promising, non-invasive biological fluid for biomarker discovery and clinical monitoring in endocrinology. Containing a wide array of hormones, peptides, metabolites, nucleic acids, and microbiome components, saliva reflects both systemic physiology and local oral conditions. With advances in molecular assays, proteomics, metabolomics, and point-of-care technologies, salivary diagnostics are emerging as powerful tools for translating basic endocrine research into clinical and public health applications. These methods offer unique advantages including simple sample collection, stress-free monitoring in home and community settings, suitability for pediatric and geriatric populations, and potential for large-scale public health screening.

In endocrinology, salivary biomarkers are already being explored for their utility in assessing cortisol dynamics, reproductive hormone fluctuations, thyroid status, metabolic regulation, and circadian rhythms. They hold potential for early diagnosis, disease monitoring, treatment optimization, and prediction of therapeutic response across a spectrum of endocrine disorders. Beyond individual patient care, salivary diagnostics could be applied in occupational and community health, where monitoring stress hormones, metabolic risk, or endocrine-disrupting exposures may provide valuable insights. As precision medicine and personalized health strategies expand, validated salivary biomarkers could help bridge the gap between laboratory discovery and real-world clinical management.

Despite these advances, several challenges remain. Assay standardization, biological variability, reference range development, and integration into existing clinical workflows require further investigation. Translational studies are needed to validate candidate salivary biomarkers against gold-standard serum or urinary measures, and to establish their predictive value in diverse patient populations. Likewise, the clinical adoption of salivary diagnostics will depend on cost-effectiveness, patient and provider acceptance, scalability, and regulatory approval of novel technologies.

This Research Topic aims to highlight state-of-the-art advances in the development, validation, and application of salivary biomarkers in endocrinology, spanning from molecular and cellular discovery to translational and clinical practice. We welcome original research, reviews, and other article types focusing on, but not limited to:

• Identification and validation of salivary biomarkers for endocrine disorders, including adrenal, thyroid, reproductive, and metabolic diseases.

• Mechanistic insights into the secretion, stability, and regulation of endocrine factors detectable in saliva.

• Translational studies comparing salivary biomarkers with traditional diagnostic matrices.

• Innovations in technologies and platforms for salivary biomarker detection, including lab-on-a-chip, wearable biosensors, and point-of-care devices.

• Clinical and public health applications of salivary diagnostics for early detection, treatment monitoring, and population-level screening of endocrine disorders.

• Challenges, limitations, and opportunities for regulatory and clinical and public health integration of salivary biomarker approaches.

By fostering multidisciplinary contributions, this Research Topic seeks to advance the translational potential of salivary biomarkers in endocrinology, bridging fundamental molecular insights with clinical innovation. Ultimately, it aims to promote non-invasive, patient-friendly approaches that can enhance endocrine research, improve disease management, monitoring, and surveillance, and expand global access to diagnostic and health tracking technologies.