Development of a special fixing device for collecting rat submandibular saliva and its application.

- Atrial of repeated use in non-tracheotomized rats -

Abstract

The author has developed a new simple method with device for collecting the submandibular saliva in rats without taking tracheotomy which helps then breathe. The device makes it possible to use the identical rat, repeatedly.

1) To use special plate for fixing a non-tracheotomized rat was kept at an angle of 16.4 degrees, and the saliva was naturally dropped through a cannula inserted into a ductus of the submandibular gland in a urethane-anesthetized rat without taking tracheotomy. Furthermore, whether the identical rat are able to use repeatedly was examined by the comparison of amount of the submandibular saliva induced by sialogogues. The results are as follows.

The amounts of the saliva induced by pilocarpine (1.0~4.0 ㎎/ kg, s. c.), phenylephrine (1.25~5.0 ㎎ / ㎏.s.c.) and isoproterenol (0.156~2.5㎎ / ㎏, s. c.) increased in the dose-dependent manner respectively, at the first and the second experiments. No significant fluctuation was shown between the amounts of the saliva and the patterns of the salivary response at the first experiment and the ones at the second experiments.

2) Wet weights of the submandibular and sublingual glands in the rats 90 min after the injection of pilocarpine showed both at the first and the second experiments no significant fluctuations. These results indicate that it is possible to be used the identical rat repeatedly in the experiments of the response to the salivary secretion induced by sialogogues, by using the method with a special plate for fixing a rat.