Effect of parasympathetic stimulants on Ca⁴⁵ transfer in vitro in rat parotid glands

¹ Department of Pharmacology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Palo Alto, California

The effect of parasympathetic stimulants on the uptake and loss of Ca⁴⁵ by rat parotid glands in vitro has been studied. Acetylcholine increased rate of entry of Ca⁴⁵ during a 10-min exposure, as shown by increase in the residual radioactivity remaining in glands after washing for 1 hr in nonradioactive media containing atropine. Both pilocarpine and acetylcholine increased the rate of loss of Ca⁴⁵ from rat parotid glands when glands previously exposed to Ca⁴⁵-containing media were repeatedly transferred to Ca⁴⁵-free media.