AJP - Regulatory, Integrative and Comparative Physiology, Vol 244, Issue 1 41-R44, Copyright © 1983 by American Physiological Society
Growth and metabolic alterations after submandibular sialadenectomy in male mice
A. K. Li, M. E. Schattenkerk, J. E. De Vries, W. D. Ford and R. A. Malt
Because the submandibular salivary glands of male mice are rich in growth
factors such as epidermal growth factor and nerve growth factor, and
because there are sporadic reports of sialadenectomized mice showing growth
retardation and endocrine abnormalities, we studied oxidative metabolism
and fertility after submandibular sialadenectomy. Despite similar intake of
food, male mice (n = 60) deprived of submandibular saliva, either by duct
ligation or gland excision, initially weighed 12-13% less than the sham
controls and had a slower rate of growth (P less than 0.001). After 5 mo,
mice with duct ligation caught up with the sham-operated mice, but the
differences compared with submandibular-sialadenectomized mice were still
apparent at 32 wk (P less than 0.001). The mean respiratory quotient of
submandibular-sialadenectomized and duct-ligated mice was 0.71 instead of
0.88 as in the shams at 10, 20, and 30 wk after operation (P less than
0.01). No effect on fecundity was observed in either male or female mice
following submandibular sialadenectomy.
