Ultrastructural aspects of cat submandibular glands

Abstract

Submandibular glands of five adult female cats were examined by conventional electron microscopic techniques. All gland acini are mucous secreting and each acinus is capped with mucous secreting demilunar cells. Secretory product of demilunar cells is more electron lucent than that of acinar cells. The demilunes show intercellular tissue spaces and intercellular canaliculi whereas similar specializations are absent between acinar cells. Mitochondria and arrays of granular endoplasmic reticulum are more numerous in deniilunar ceIIs than in acinar cells.

Comparative Aspect on the Innervation of Submandibular Glands in Cat and Rabbit; an Electron Microscopic Study

“…1 and 2). Ultrastructural characteristics of both types of secretory cell were similar to those described by Shackleford and Wilborn (1970). The secretory granules of the demilunar cells mostly showed electron lucent matrix and some of the granules contained one or two smaller electron dense subunits (Fig.…”

“…Intra-acinar nerve endings, which show direct contact with a parenchymal element, have been illustrated in human (Tandler 1965), cat (Creed andWilson 1969, Shackleford andWilborn 1970) and monkey submandibular glands (Cowley andShackleford 1970, Kagayama 1971). On the other hand, only extra-acinar nerve endings have been described in the submandibular glands of rat (Scott and Tease 1959), dog (Fujita et al 1964), cat (Garrett 1966h, d), and man (Ferner and Gansler 1961, Garrett 1967, Norberg et al 1969.…”

Fine Structure of the Mandibular Gland in Crest-tailed Marsupial-rat (<I>Dasyuroides byrnei</I>)

“…The mandibular glands of many rodents [4,7,17,21,22,25], rabbits [2,29] and volcano rabbits [23] have acini consisting of only one cell type and are homocrine, possessing only seromucous cells. On the other hand, the mandibular glands of dogs [26], cats [5,18], pigs [18], horses [27], kobe mole [8] and several ruminant species [19,24,26] are composed of acini of two different cell types and are heterocrine, possessing mucous and seromucous cells with a PAS-, AB-positive nature. As a rule, in these animals, the mucous cells are predominant, and seromucous cells are in demilunes.…”

Ultrastructure and histochemistry of the submandibular gland of the Japanese wood mouse (Apodemus ainu ainu tokuda).

“…Up to now, the vesicles observed in the apical region of the SD cells have been considered to be reabsorption vesicles by many investigators (RUTBERG, 1961;TAMARIN and SREEBNY, 1965;SHACKLEFORD and WILBORN, 1970;RIVA et al, 1976;TESTA-RIVA, 1977;ODAJIMA, 1980), although PARKS (1961), LEESON (1969), andHAND (1979) supported the view that the vesicles were involved in a secretory activity of the SD cells. The dark cells observed in the present study had microvilli on their luminal surface and vesicles associated with the surface plasma membrane.…”

“…SHACKLEFORD and WILBORN (1969) reported the presence of dark cells in the SD duct in the bovine parotid gland. TAMARIN and SREEBNY (1965) reported that dark and basal cells were distinguishable in the rat submandibular gland, and WILBORN and SHACKLEFORD (1969) demonstrated that clear, dark, and basal I and II cells were distinguishable in SD cells in the opossum. The dark cells found in the Japanese wood mouse were similar in cytological appearances to the dark cells of Apodemus aygenteus TEMMINCK (ODAJIMA, 1980).…”