Abstract
It has been pointed that adrenergic β-receptor is greatly concerned in the salivary secretion of amylase, which is one of the main digestive enzymes (1). It has also been noticed that the repeated administrations of isoprenaline which has a strong affinity to β-receptor for catecholamines show a marked enlargement of the salivary glands (2-11). On the other hand, it has been also demonstrated that dibenamine, one of the potent α-adrenergic blocking agents, and guanethidine, an antiadrenergic agent, show a gradual atrophy in the salivary gland after the chronic administration (11, 12). Although there are many reports concerning the enlargement of the submaxillary glands treated with isoprenaline, little has been known whether this enlargement is due to the β-action of isoprenaline and whether it produces an enzymatic alterations in the enlarged salivary glands. The present study deals with the effects of β-adrenergic blocking agent on the development of the enlargement induced by the chronic administration of isoprenaline in rat submaxillary glands from the histological, histochemical, biochemical and pharmacological points of view.
