Abstract
The mouse mandibular gland contains granular ducts, which possess a particular structure. They are termed granular ducts because they contain numerous granules in the cells lining them, having a secretory activity. We aimed to assess the secretory mechanism in granular ducts. Consequently, we harvested the mandibular glands from five male mice and processed them for histological investigations. A large number of cells appeared intact, without obvious distortions or disruptions in the cell membrane. Based on the morphological aspect, these cells either transferred the secretory product through exocytosis or were in "standby" mode. There were cells that presented prominent bulges of the apical pole, thus suggesting an apocrine mechanism. Some cells presented discontinuities in the apical pole and a tendency of granule transfer towards the lumen. According to the morphological aspects, these cells eliminated the secretory product through a holocrine mechanism. The morphological aspects noticed in this study revealed that the release of secretory products in some cells lining the granular ducts in the mouse mandibular gland can also be achieved through a holocrine mechanism.
Highlights
The mandibular gland in mouse contains ducts with a particular structure that interposes between intercalated and striated ducts
Based upon the morphological aspect, it seems that these cells either transfer their secretory products through exocytosis or are on “standby”
They affirmed that the transfer of secretory product from granular ducts is achieved through typical exocytosis and compound exocytosis (9)
Summary
The mandibular gland in mouse contains ducts with a particular structure that interposes between intercalated and striated ducts. These ducts are lined by columnar cells, which contain numerous granules in their cytoplasm, with different sizes and approximately spherical or ovoid shapes (1). Because of the membrane-bound granules present in the apical cytoplasm of the cells, they are termed granular ducts (4). Some authors reported the existence of a single cell population in granular convoluted ducts in mouse, with numerous homogeneous granules occupying 2/3 of the cytoplasm in the apical area (5). Others affirm that cells of the granular convoluted duct in the mandibular gland in rat presents heterogeneous granules starting from 6 weeks age, which suggests a functional diversity of the cells (6)
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