Presence of endothelin-1 in human salivary glands and tumors

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To elucidate the presence and distribution of Endothelin-1 (ET-1) in tissues of human salivary glands, we performed an immunohistochemical analysis of ET-1 in 15 normal salivary glands, 8 adenolymphomas, 13 pleomorphic adenomas and 5 carcinomas, using the mouse monoclonal antibody against human ET-1. In normal glands, immunoreactivity for ET-1 was observed in the striated duct cells. In adenolymphomas, the columnar cells of the granular epithelium showed strong intracytoplasmic immunoreactivity. In carcinomas, moderate or strong immunoreactivity was observed in the tumor cells, whereas in pleomorphic adenomas, weak immunoreactivity was observed. A good relation was detected between the size of pleomorphic adenoma and ET-1 immunoreactivity, as well as between the duration of tumor in carcinoma and ET-1 immunoreactivity. The presence and distribution of ET-1 in salivary glands and salivary gland tumors suggests a possible role for ET-1 in the regulation of electrolytes and water transport in salivary glands, and as a growth-promoting factor for tumors. (J Nippon Med Sch 1998; 65 : 471-477)