Use of Human Minor Salivary Glands in Basic and Applied Secretion Research

Abstract

Previous findings from studies utilizing human labial and palatine minor salivary glands are reviewed. These studies took histopathological, biochemical, and ultrastructural approaches, and focused on control and diseased glands. Disease-oriented summarization are used, and control results are discussed in the context of disease-related findings. Findings are reviewed separately for electrolytes, macromolecules, and ultrastructure. In control subjects, minor gland salivary electrolyte concentrations are dependent on flow rate, and this dependence may be altered by diseases such as cystic fibrosis as well as by inflammatory situations such as graft-versus-host disease. There is also evidence that salivary electrolyte secretion processes are not similar in labial and palatine minor glands. Studies of salivary macromolecular composition are reviewed for control subjects and for patients with graft-versus-host disease and Sjögren's syndrome. The findings indicate that the macromolecular contents of labial and palatine gland saliva are similar, but that both are significantly different from that for major gland saliva. Finally, studies attempting to measure disease-related changes in intracellular composition are reviewed. It is concluded that the minor salivary glands are important models for the study of exocrine gland physiology and pathophysiology in man.

Developmental Morphology of the Palatine Glands in Rats: An Electron Microscope Study

“…Among those the palate is considered the most common location of both benign and malignant minor salivary gland tumors, accounting for 10–25% of all salivary gland tumors (Pires et al, ; Mejía‐Velázquez et al, ). Nevertheless, palatine glands have received considerably less attention than the major glands and other minor glands, perhaps owing to their more difficult accessibility (Izutsu et al, ; Redman, ).…”

Clinical anatomy of the inferior labial gland: a narrative review

“…Located on the inner surfaces of the lips, the inferior labial glands are easily accessible and readily available for biopsy. Since major exocrine disorders such as Sjogren's syndrome (SS) and cystic fibrosis are reflected in the labial glands, the inferior labial glands are important diagnostic materials for them (29). The following text includes an in-depth review of current research surrounding the use of inferior labial glands for elucidating and potentially diagnosing major systemic diseases.…”

Glycohistochemical Characteristics of Nasal Polyps From Patients With and Without Cystic Fibrosis

“…For example, the terminal sequence Neu5Ac-␣(2,6)-Gal-␤(1,3)-GalNAc is a typical side chain of mucin-type glycoproteins in salivary glands, 30 which secrete salivary mucins with numerous types of terminal sialic acids. 31,32 While the expression of the Neu5Ac-␣(2,6)-Gal-␤(1,3)-GalNAc sequence is typical of the presence of mature mucins, the presence of Gal-␤(1,3)-GalNAc free of sialylation is typical of either immature mucins or IgA, 33 which, in its structure, has 4 O-linked saccharides in the same sequence. 31 Not only total and specific IgE, but also IgA, are found in significantly greater concentrations in nasal polyp tissue specimens than in serum samples.…”

“…Sialic acids in saliva act against environmental insult and serve both as lubrication and as a defense against microorganisms. [30][31][32] These sialic acid-dependent properties may also be present in nasal mucosa, but differ according to whether or not the polyposal nasal mucosa is infected by specific pathogens. Interestingly, while an actual receptor for sialylated glycans from P aeruginosa has not yet been defined biochemically, inhibition experiments with SNA intimated that glycans carrying ␣(2,6)linked sialic acids are recognized by P aeruginosa.…”