Differences in the content of glucagon-like immunoreactivity in rat submaxillary glands.

Two different antisera which specifically reacted with either the C- or N-terminal region of pancreas glucagon were employed to determine the concentration of glucagon and glucagon-like immunoreactivity in extracts from submaxillary glands of rats. The content of glucagon and glucagon-like immunoreactivity increased with age and was found to be higher in adult males than in females. Pancreas glucagon immunoreactivity constituted only a small proportion of the total glucagon-like immunoreactivity. The role that glucagon-like peptides present in the submaxillary gland of rats might play in the glucose homeostasis remains still unknown.