A cytochemical study of the effect of cholinergic and beta-adrenergic stimulation on calcium fluxes of rat parotid gland.

Parotid gland tissue from carbachol-treated and isoproterenol-treated rats was studied cytochemically by pyroantimonate precipitation and x-ray microanalysis in an effort to identify any intracellular calcium reservoirs that might be available for use in a stimulus-secretion coupling mechanism, and to determine any differences that might exist in terms of calcium utilization due to the cholinergic or beta-adrenergic receptor mechanisms. Stimulation by either secretagogue results in a reduction of mitochondrial and plasma membrane calcium, but the reduction in mitochondrial calcium deposits of carbachol-treated animals is only one-half that of the beta-adrenergic-treated animals. This could possibly suggest a greater dependency on mitochondrial calcium for beta-adrenergic stimulated animals.