[Effect of hydrocortisone on differentiation of white rat embryonal submandibular gland epithelium in organ culture].

At organic cultivation of the submandibular rudiments in 17, 18 and 19-day-old white rat embryos in the nutritional medium without the hormone, the processes of the gland morphogenesis are similar to those in vivo. However, the time for formation of the terminal buds, acini, system of of deferent ducts differs from that in vivo, as it is necessary 1-3 days for the germ to adopt to the cultural conditions. When hydrocortisone is injected into the nutritional medium, the processess in the submandibular gland accelerate, acinar portions differentiate, the secrete is forming, the ducts resembling by their structure salivary tubes in adult animals are constructing. Hydrocortisone injection inhibits proliferative activity in the epithelial cells, decreasing the index of the labeled nuclei from 17.05% to 0.06% after 3 days of cultivation. Possible mechanisms of the hydrocortisone effect on morphogenesis of epithelium in the white rat submandibular gland in organic culture are discussed.