Acute effect of ACTH, aldosterone, sodium and potassium on parotid secretion

¹ Department of Physiology, University of Alabama School of Dentistry, Birmingham, Alabama

The intravenous administration of 20 u of ACTH in a single injection alters the flow and composition of parotid saliva in the dog. The flow was increased 44%, sodium concentration 75% and the potassium concentration decreased 19%. These alterations do not occur in the adrenalectomized dog. Aldosterone increased the sodium concentration only 20%, decreased the potassium level 6.3% and had an insignificant influence on flow. The intravenous infusion of sodium decreases parotid flow whereas potassium increases it. It is concluded that these alterations represent a direct influence of the electrolytes on the gland since adrenalectomy has no influence on this response. It is suggested that parotid function is changed by the infusion of these electrolytes due to the alteration of the intra-extracellular gradients. The adrenal steroids may have a similar effect.