INDIRECT ASSESSMENT OF CELLULAR SECRETORY ACTIVITY FROM INTRALOBULAR DUCTS IN RAT MANDIBULAR GLAND

Abstract

The mandibular gland in rat contains secretory intralobular ducts, but the intensity of their secretory activity is different. Unlike other species, adult rats contain a third type of mandibular ducts, called granular ducts, due to their aspect in light microscopy. Studies disagree on the secretory activity of these ducts in various species, stating that it is sometimes more intense than the acinar one or absent. Thus, we considered as opportune to indirectly evaluate the secretory activity of the cells lining the intralobular ducts by assessing the cellular load with Golgi complexes. We harvested the mandibular glands from 5 male albino Wistar rats and processed them to highlight the Golgi apparatus. Our results show that cells lining the granular ducts have a more significant secretory activity, but neither the secretory activity of the cells from striated ducts is negligible, both types of ducts participating in the enrichment of saliva with different substances.

Keywords

• golgi, granular, mandibular, rat, striated