Increase in Amylase of Rat Submaxillary Gland in Response to Acetylcholine or Feeding

¹ From the Departments of Physiology and Clinical Dentistry, School of Dentistry and Medical College of Alabama, Birmingham, Alabama

Acetylcholine, administered subcutaneously, or normal feeding following a period of food withdrawal leads to rapid and appreciable amylase accumulation in the submaxillary-sublingual gland of the rat. This effect does not appear to be contingent on prior depletion of gland enzyme stores and is completely prevented by administration of atropine prior to and during the period of stimulation. The effects of stimulation by acetylcholine or feeding thus appear comparable to that by pilocarpine and are consistent with the thesis that the parasympathetic nervous system, in the case of this gland complex at least, plays a role, independent of its effect on secretion, in regulating the process of enzyme synthesis.