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Impaired Salivary Gland Secretory Function Following the Induction of Rapid, Synchronous Vitamin A Deficiency in Rats¹

Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Science, Mahidol University, Rama VI Rd., Bangkok 4, Thailand

Rapid and essentially synchronous vitamin A deficiency was induced by the withdrawal of retinoic acid from stringently deficient animals reared by feeding early weight plateau vitamin A-deprived male rats diets first supplemented with and then lacking in 2 µg retinoic acid/g diet in repeating 18:10 day cycles. Secondary inanition was minimized by the control led forcefeeding of deficient and control animals. The time to onset of pilocarpine (3 mg/kg body weight) induced salivation increased progressively starting 6–8 days after retinoate withdrawal. Concomitantly, saliva volumes in the 20 minutes following the onset of salivation decreased. Protein and -amylase concentrations were constant until around days 10–12 (T_10–12) of deficiency but then decreased. Synthesis of proteins was normal, however, as judged by total parotid gland -amylase activity (T₁₄). Seemingly, vitamin A deficiency may directly affect cells involved in saliva secretion, since decreased secretory function was noted several days prior to keratinization and blockage of the striated and excretory ducts.

KEY WORDS: • vitamin A deficiency • pilocarpine • salivary secretion • -amylase

¹ Supported by U. S. National Institutes of Health Grant No. NIH-AM-11367.

² To whom reprint requests should be sent.

³ Present address: Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Iowa State University, Ames, IA 50011.

Manuscript received 7 February 1980.