Diabetes, Vol 35, Issue 7 753-758, Copyright © 1986 by American Diabetes Association

ARTICLES

Insulin-like material in parotid and submaxillary salivary glands of normal and diabetic adult male mice

DG Patel, N Begum and PH Smith

Acid-ethanol extracts of homogenates from the parotid and submaxillary salivary glands of normal and streptozocin-induced diabetic adult male mice were investigated for insulin-like material. Extracts of both the parotid and submaxillary glands contained insulin-like immunoreactivity. The values were 156 +/- 72 ng/g wet tissue in the parotid and 104 +/- 36 ng/g wet tissue in the submaxillary gland. Fractionation of this material on Sephadex G-50 (superfine) columns revealed a single peak corresponding to the elution volume of isotopically labeled insulin. Isolated fat cells were stimulated by these extracts to convert [14C]glucose to 14CO2. This effect was blocked by preincubation with anti-insulin serum. It was observed with the avidin-biotin immunocytochemical technique that both the parotid and submaxillary glands of adult male mice possess a population of cells containing an insulin-like material. After intraperitoneal injection of streptozocin there was a marked decrease of insulin-like material extractable from both the parotid and submaxillary glands. However, this beta-cell cytotoxic agent did not completely destroy the salivary cells containing the insulin-like material. These data suggest that both the parotid and submaxillary salivary glands may be extrapancreatic sources of insulin in mice.
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