Experimental Study on the Significance of Parotid Saliva

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As regards the anti-histamic, anti-productin activity of parotid saliva, the absorption of saliva from the striated tubulus of the parotid gland (OGATA's theory) was presupposed. The author has performed here experiments in which the saliva secreted into the oral cavity and swallowed into the stomach was assumed to be absorbed from the gastric wall or from the intestinal wall. Then he has observed the gastric peptic cells applying the facts that production of peptic secretion granules was promoted by histamine or the gastric hormone productin of FUJIE and that discharge (vacuolization) of them was initiated by decomposed product of histamine or of productin so that the anti-histamic or anti-productin effects might be decided. The results obtained are as follows.1. Human parotid saliva obtained aseptically has certainly an anti-histamic or anti-productin activity, but it is not pronounced.2. In rats fed for 5 and 10 days after the ligation of their parotid ducts, a limited accumulation of parotid saliva in the parotid gland is observed. Here the absorption of saliva in the parotid gland is affirmed, as was claimed by OGATA.3. In rats whose parotid ducts were ligated, the anti-histamic activity in vivo on the histamine injected seems to be more than in normal rats, but the anti-productin activity after the diet was given seems to be rather less than in normal rats.4. If a mixture of human parotid saliva of pH 2.0 and histamine is injected subcutaneously the most remarkable anti histamic effect can be observed. This pH value is the same as that of the gastric juice.5. As the above facts were also proved by the experiment in which human parotid saliva (pH 7.2, as it was obtained) was injected into the stomach of fasting rats and after that histamine was injected subcutaneously, the anti-histamic, anti-productin activity in vivo is considered to be more powerful when it is swallowed into the stomach and then absorbed from there than when it is absorbed directly from the parotid glands.6. The results of 3. will prove the facts that there is an increase of saliva absorbed from the parotid gland and that no saliva is absorbed from the gastric wall.According to these results, it will be concluded that as regards the absorption of saliva, not only the direct absorption from the parotid glands but also the absorption from the gastric wall can be considered and that the saliva absorbed from the gastric wall has the most powerful anti-histamic, anti-productin effect.