Abstract
The non-obese diabetic (NOD) mouse is chosen among other experimental models to study autoimmune sialadenitis resembling Sjögren's syndrome (SS), because of its unique characteristic of developing salivary dysfunction. Based on the deep loss of nitric oxide synthase (NOS) activity in parotid glands of NOD mice observed from early stages of disease and the inhibitory effect of nitric oxide (NO) donors on amylase secretion in normal salivary glands, our goal was to investigate whether parotid glands from NOD mice lacking NOS activity presented this regulatory mechanism of amylase secretion. We found that parotid glands from NOD mice lack nitric oxide-mediated regulation of amylase secretion in response to VIP stimulation. The lack of regulation might be assigned to the loss of NOS activity as derived from the results with NOS inhibitors and increasing concentrations of VIP. These functional differences observed in NOD vs. BALB/c parotid glands occur in the absence of immune infiltrates in exocrine tissue, and it is not related to cAMP accumulation. NO-mediated regulation of amylase secretion was not observed in BALB/c submandibular glands to the same extent as described in parotid glands and was absent in submandibular glands of NOD mice.
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.