Alcohol ingestion reduced acetylcholine-binding protein in the submandibular gland of the rat

Abstract

Continuous alcohol ingestion may lead to various dental diseases because a hyposalivation. In this study, we investigated changes in pathology and choline acetyltransferase (ChAT, an enzyme for synthesis of acetylcholine) in the brain and acetylcholine-binding protein (AchBP, a protein responsible for modulation of synaptic transmission in cholinergic synapses) in the submandibular gland after alcohol ingestion. There was no change in neuronal death and expression of ChAT in superior salivary nucleus after alcohol ingestion. In the submandibular gland, expression of AchBP were significantly reduced after alcohol ingestion. Therefore, decrease of saliva secretion by alcohol ingestion is less related to damage of neurons in the superior salivary nucleus and decrease of acetylcholine synthesis or cholinergic neurotransmission.