Premium
Acinar degranulation in the rat parotid gland induced by neuropeptides
Author(s) -
Ekström J.,
Ekström P.F.
Publication year - 2001
Publication title -
experimental physiology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.925
H-Index - 101
eISSN - 1469-445X
pISSN - 0958-0670
DOI - 10.1111/j.1469-445x.2001.tb00038.x
Subject(s) - substance p , vasoactive intestinal peptide , neurokinin a , endocrinology , medicine , degranulation , amylase , parotid gland , secretion , neuropeptide , cholinergic , chemistry , salivary gland , acinus , biology , pancreas , enzyme , biochemistry , receptor , pathology
Vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP, 4 μg kg ‐1 min ‐1 ), substance P (3 μg kg ‐1 min ‐1 ) and neurokinin A (2.5 μg kg ‐1 min ‐1 ) were infused intravenously for 30 min in anaesthetized rats and the effects of these peptides on the parotid gland were examined. VIP reduced the numerical density of parotid acinar secretory granules, storing proteins, by 29% and the glandular amylase activity by 33%. Substance P reduced the number of secretory granules by 18% but the amylase activity was unchanged. These results make VIP and substance P likely contributors to the parasympathetic non‐adrenergic, non‐cholinergic (NANC)‐evoked parotid acinar degranulation. Neurokinin A, on the other hand, caused no reduction in granular number but reduced the glandular amylase activity by 19%, indicating vesicular protein secretion.