Chemiluminescent Detection of 1,5-Anhydroglucitol in Saliva for Diabetes Mellitus Screening

Diabetes mellitus is a severe, chronic disease that affects over 420 million people worldwide. The onset of complications due to diabetes can be delayed or even prevented when the disease is diagnosed early. However, it is estimated that nearly a quarter of all diabetes cases are undiagnosed. Screening in communities without adequate access to healthcare can drastically reduce the number of undiagnosed cases of diabetes in these areas. We have developed a chemiluminescence assay to quantify 1,5-anhydroglucitol (AHG), a glucose analog that falls in concentration during periods of hyperglycemia, in saliva for diabetes screening. We have demonstrated the ability of the assay to distinguish between healthy and diabetic individuals by testing 250 human samples (p < 0.0001). The accuracy of the assay determined by a receiver operating characteristic curve is 81%. The resultant study suggests that our assay can be used as a noninvasive tool to screen for diabetes.