Organic secretion in ductal cells of the sublingual salivary gland of ferret: Histochemical observations.

The presence of organic secretion in ductal cells of the sublingual salivary gland of ferret has been questioned, which prompted the present investigation. Paraffin or cryostat sections from aldehyde fixed or quenched sublingual glands of this species were tested for some amino acid residues, mucosubstances, oxidative and hydrolytic enzymes, and lectins. The glands showed inconspicuous ducts of simple appearances on routine histology. The histochemical procedures, however, revealed a granulated substance in the apical (periluminal) region of ductal cells, which contained tryptophan, disulphides, neutral mucosubstances, αFuc and GalNAc, and showed chloroacetate esterase activity. Occurrence of the substance varied between different ducts of the same gland and/or cells of the same duct. The ductal cells also showed diffuse peroxidase and acid phosphatase, and Golgi-like thiamine pyrophosphatase activities. Acetylcholinesterase-positive nerve fibres embraced the ducts. The results support a particular localisation of protein-bound amino acid residues and enzymatic catalytic activities indicative of organic secretion, possibly tissue kallikrein, in sublingual ductal cells of ferret.