Presence and functional significance of sulphates in the submandibular glands of growing rabbits.

A heteropolysaccharide formed by hexoses, hexosamines, fucose, sialic acid, uronic acids and sulphates was isolated from submandibular glands of rabbits during postnatal development. The presence of sulphates in the submandibular glands of growing animals and their absence in the submandibular glands of adult animals is rather difficult to explain. This biochemical investigation and preliminary results obtained by light and electron microscopy on the sublingual gland seem to suggest a substitutive role of the submandibular gland during the neonatal period.