Morphological evidence that pentagastrin regulates secretion in the human parotid gland.

Salivary secretion is principally regulated by autonomic nerves. However, recent evidence from in vivo animal experiments suggests that gastrointestinal peptide hormones can also influence saliva production. The aim of the present study was to define the secretagogue activity of the gastrin-analogue pentagastrin in human salivary glands.

Diabetes reduces statherin in human parotid: immunogold study and comparison with submandibular gland.

Background And Objective: Alteration of salivary gland secretion is one of the consequences of diabetes. In a recent study on the submandibular gland of diabetic subjects, we found changed expression of statherin, a salivary protein of fundamental importance in preserving tooth integrity, whose reduction was related with the high incidence of oral diseases in patients with diabetes. The goal of this report is to extend the study to human parotid gland and to compare the effects of diabetes on statherin expression with those previously described in submandibular gland.

Diabetes affects statherin expression in human labial glands.

Background And Objective: Salivary statherin, which plays a special role in the defense of tooth integrity, is secreted by both major and minor salivary glands. A significantly reduced expression of this was recently found in human major salivary glands removed from diabetic subjects and was correlated with the high incidence of dental diseases occurring in patients with diabetes. In this study, we measured the density of gold particles indicating statherin immunoreactivity in labial glands to reveal a significant difference between diabetic and non-diabetic patients.

Morphological changes induced by neuropeptide in vitro stimulation of the rat parotid gland.

The effect of in vitro stimulation of rat parotid gland with the neuropeptides substance P, calcitonin gene-related peptide and galanin has been studied by microfilament fluorescence staining and in semithin sections, and compared to control incubations and in vitro stimulation with beta-adrenergic and muscarinic agonists. Clear-cut aspects of massive granule exocytosis and cytoplasm vacuolation, indicative of protein and fluid secretion respectively, were obvious only after substance P stimulation, whereas treatment with galanin and calcitonin gene-related peptide produced little to no morphological changes. The results being in agreement with the outcome of other methodological approaches, these procedures appear reliable, may be effectively applied to the study of the functional regulation of secretory mechanisms, and may be particularly useful in human tissue analyses.

Immunoreactivity of the salivary protein statherin in human male accessory sex glands.

Background: Statherin is a small phosphoprotein chiefly studied for its protective roles towards teeth and oral tissues. Although generally considered as exclusively secreted by salivary glands, circumstantial evidences suggested that other tissues also produce it. This article first demonstrates statherin immunoreactivity in human prostate and seminal vesicles.