Q.How does Saliva act in body defence ?

Saliva contributes to innate body defence chemically (via the enzyme lysozyme) and mechanically (by washing away microbes).

Saliva, secreted continuously by the salivary glands into the mouth, is one of the body's physiological/chemical barriers of innate immunity. It contains the enzyme lysozyme, which attacks and breaks down the peptidoglycan cell walls of many bacteria, killing or weakening them before they can establish an infection in the oral cavity. In addition to this chemical action, the continuous flow and swallowing of saliva mechanically flushes micro-organisms and food debris off the mucosal surfaces of the mouth and throat, reducing the chance of microbes adhering and colonising these surfaces. Together, these actions make saliva an effe …