title: Secretory responses in granular ducts and acini of submandibular glands in vivo to parasympathetic or sympathetic nerve stimulation in rats.
abstract: The roles of sympathetic and parasympathetic nerves in the secretion of saliva from submandibular glands of rats have been tested by electrical stimulation of either nerve for 1 h unilaterally in separate animals. The flows of saliva thereby induced and their protein content were monitored. Structural changes in each gland were assessed by light- and electron microscopy and compared with the unstimulated contralateral control gland, and the extent of the changes was determined morphometrically. Sympathetic nerve stimulation induced a relatively low flow of saliva that was rich in protein and was accompanied by extensive degranulation from both acinar and granular duct cells. In contrast parasympathetic nerve stimulation induced a considerable flow of saliva that had a low protein content and no detectable degranulation occurred from the secretory cells. It is possible, therefore, that some protein in parasympathetic saliva may have arisen from a non-granular pathway.
authors.affiliation: Department of Oral Pathology, King's College School of Medicine and Dentistry, Rayne Institute, London, UK.
authors.forename: J R
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Garrett
authors.forename: A M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Suleiman
authors.forename: L C
authors.initials: LC
authors.lastname: Anderson
authors.forename: G B
authors.initials: GB
authors.lastname: Proctor
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D004558:Electric Stimulation; D008297:Male; D008854:Microscopy, Electron; D010275:Parasympathetic Nervous System / Q000502:physiology; D011506:Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D051381:Rats; D011919:Rats, Inbred Strains; D012463:Saliva / Q000378:metabolism; D013363:Submandibular Gland / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000294:innervation* / Q000378:metabolism; D013564:Sympathetic Nervous System / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D011506:Proteins