title: Effect of protein malnutrition on the composition of submandibular glands of aged rats.
abstract: Fifty 22-month-old male Sprague-Dawley rats were fed for 8 weeks ad libitum with either a 20% protein diet (control) or a 5% protein diet (protein malnourished group). Submandibular glands were removed, weighed and homogenate prepared. After the low protein diet, there was a slight but significant decrease in body weight, glandular content of total protein (mg/g tissue), kallikrein activity/mg protein and glutamine-rich peptide. In contrast, the gland weight, DNA and mucin content were not changed by feeding a low protein diet. Thus in aged rats submandibular glands are only modestly affected by protein malnutrition and the effects on gland-specific proteins vary.
authors.affiliation: Center for Clinical Research in Dentistry, Columbia University, New York, NY 10032.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Naini
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Morgan
authors.forename: I D
authors.initials: ID
authors.lastname: Mandel
mesh_terms: D000375:Aging / Q000378:metabolism*; D000818:Animals; D004247:DNA / Q000032:analysis; D005973:Glutamine / Q000032:analysis; D007610:Kallikreins / Q000032:analysis; D008297:Male; D009077:Mucins / Q000032:analysis; D009748:Nutrition Disorders / Q000378:metabolism*; D009752:Nutritional Status; D009929:Organ Size; D011488:Protein Deficiency / Q000378:metabolism*; D051381:Rats; D011919:Rats, Inbred Strains; D012471:Salivary Proteins and Peptides / Q000032:analysis; D013053:Spectrophotometry; D013363:Submandibular Gland / Q000032:analysis* / Q000473:pathology
chemical_list: D009077:Mucins; D012471:Salivary Proteins and Peptides; D005973:Glutamine; D004247:DNA; D007610:Kallikreins