Relation of the Adrenal Cortex to the Salivary Secretion Mechanism of the Dog

¹ Instituto de Fisiologia Experimental, Faculdade de Medicina, Pôrto Alegre, Brazil

In order to study the influence of the adrenal cortex on the salivary secretion mechanism, we produced adrenal cortical atrophy in dogs by the administration of 2,2-bis(parachloro-phenil)-1,1-dichloroethane(DDD).

With progressive adrenal atrophy, parallel changes were observed in the submaxillary gland: a decrease in weight; histologic lesions, including atrophy of the glandular acini and vascular thrombosis; and a decrease in the salivary flow, which could be evoked by pilocarpine. The histologic lesions and the decrease in salivary flow, but not the decline in salivary glandular weight, were, in part, prevented by the concurrent administration of adrenal cortical extract and DDD.

The salivary secretion mechanism is discussed on the basis of adrenal cortex interference in both the glandular and the vascular activities.