Effects of Irradiation on Experimental Autoallergic Sialadenitis

Abstract

lesion. An experimental autoallergic sialadenitis (EAS) of the rat submandibular gland was developed to serve as the standard lesion. Consistently mild or severe lesions of EAS were induced in male Lewis rats when they were immunized with allogeneic submandibular glands from sexually immature or mature female donors, respectively. Neck irradiation alone 7-56 days prior to sacrifice induced only occasional inflammatory lesions in the submandibular glands. The weights of the submandibular glands were seen to decrease progressively while the body weights continued to rise. Neck irradiation 7-56 days prior to sacrifice of animals immunized 7-21 days prior to sacrifice to induce mild or severe EAS did not significantly accelerate development of the lesion nor was the intensity of inflammatory lesions significantly modified. In animals with mild or severe EAS which were neck irradiated, the weights of the submandibular glands were found to decrease while the body weight remained relatively unchanged. Thus, the influences of neck irradiation (1000 R) (primarily a progressive submandibular weight decrease) neither significantly altered nor was altered by the development of the experimental autoallergic lesion of the submandibular gland.