Piludu Marco, Lantini Maria Serenella, Cossu Margherita, Piras Monica, Oppenheim Frank G, Helmerhorst Eva J, Siqueira Walter, Hand Arthur R
Dipartimento di Citomorfologia, Università Degli Studi di Cagliari, Cagliari, Italy.
Arch Oral Biol. 2006 Nov;51(11):967-73. doi: 10.1016/j.archoralbio.2006.05.011. Epub 2006 Jul 21.
Human saliva contains a family of low molecular weight histidine-rich proteins, named histatins, characterised by bactericidal and fungicidal activities in vitro against several microbial pathogens, such as Streptococcus mutans and Candida albicans. They represent a major component of an innate host non-immune defense system. In an earlier study we described the distribution of histatins in the glandular parenchyma of human major salivary glands, confirming that all human major salivary glands are involved in the secretion of histatins into saliva. In the present study we determined the expression and localisation of histatins in human posterior deep lingual glands (von Ebner's glands) by means of immunoelectron microscopy.
Thin sections of normal human salivary glands, embedded in Epon resin, were incubated with rabbit polyclonal antibodies specific for human histatins and successively with a gold conjugated goat anti-rabbit IgG used as secondary antibody. Sections incubated with medium devoid of primary antibody or containing non-immune serum were used as controls.
The serous secreting cells represented the main source of histatins in the glandular parenchyma of von Ebner's glands. At the electron microscopic level, labeling was associated with rough endoplasmic reticulum, Golgi complex and secretory granules that represented the main cytoplasmic site of histatin localisation. However, variability in the intensity of labeling was observed among adjacent cells.
The present results show for the first time that human von Ebner's glands produce and represent a significant source of histatins, supporting the hypothesis of their important role in preventing microbial assaults on the tissues in the posterior region of the tongue and in the circumvallate papillae.
人类唾液含有一族低分子量富含组氨酸的蛋白质，称为富组蛋白，其特征在于在体外对几种微生物病原体具有杀菌和杀真菌活性，例如变形链球菌和白色念珠菌。它们是先天性宿主非免疫防御系统的主要组成部分。在早期研究中，我们描述了富组蛋白在人类主要唾液腺腺实质中的分布，证实所有人类主要唾液腺都参与将富组蛋白分泌到唾液中。在本研究中，我们通过免疫电子显微镜确定了富组蛋白在人类舌后深腺（埃伯纳腺）中的表达和定位。
将包埋在环氧树脂中的正常人唾液腺薄片与针对人类富组蛋白的兔多克隆抗体孵育，然后依次与用作二抗的金标记山羊抗兔IgG孵育。用不含一抗或含有非免疫血清的培养基孵育的切片用作对照。
浆液分泌细胞是埃伯纳腺腺实质中富组蛋白的主要来源。在电子显微镜水平，标记与粗面内质网、高尔基体复合体和分泌颗粒相关，这些是富组蛋白定位的主要细胞质部位。然而，在相邻细胞之间观察到标记强度的变化。
本研究结果首次表明人类埃伯纳腺产生并代表富组蛋白的重要来源，支持了它们在预防微生物侵袭舌后部组织和轮廓乳头中起重要作用的假说。
