Parenterally administered salivary tissue extracts reduce outputs of Na+ and K+ associated with bile salt-induced damage of rat oxyntic mucosa.

Extirpation of the major salivary glands in rats has been shown to exacerbate the ionic fluxes associated with pharmacologically-induced damage to the gastric mucosal barrier. In the present study we have investigated the effect of the administration of a crude extract of submandibular-sublingual salivary glands on gastric secretion and gastric mucosal barrier integrity in the rat. The extract was administered in a dose (4 mg protein) which would reduce established acid secretion by 30%. Chronic parenteral (intraperitoneal) administration of salivary gland extract but not phosphate buffer resulted in a reduction in the luminal appearance of Na+ and K+ associated with bile salt-induced damage (5 mM sodium taurocholate in 150 mM HCl) to the gastric mucosa of sialoadenectomized animals. Oral administration of the extract depressed its protective action. Boiling the extract prior to parenteral administration also abolished its ability to protect the mucosa. Acute administration of the extract by intraperitoneal injection only 30 min prior to bile salt treatment was also ineffective. These results suggest that chronic parenteral but not enteral treatment with a crude salivary gland extract aids in the maintenance of the gastric mucosal barrier in sialoadenectomized rats. The inability of acute administration of the extract to reduce the net fluxes of Na+ and K+ suggests that its mode of action is not entirely dependent upon an inhibition of gastric acid secretion.