1 1 



The Anatomy of the Salivary Glands 



pointed out that the cells in the main ducts have granules which 

 may be extruded into the lumen. In adult rodents the proximal 

 part of the intralobular duct is greatly developed and specialized 



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Fig. 2.1. Schematic representation of the human salivary gland. 



B, serous acinus, note the round nucleus and the granules in the apical cytoplasm; C, mucous 

 acinus, the nucleus is flattened and stretched along the base of the cell whose cytoplasm is glassy 

 in appearance; D, I, intercalary ducts, the cells are small and almost filled by a round nucleus; 

 A, E, intralobular (striated) duct, the cells are higher than those of the intercalary ducts and show 

 basal striations; M, myoepithelial cells: K, canaliculus between acinar cells (Zimmermann, 

 IQ27)- 



and may be convoluted. This segment is known as the granular 

 tubule and is composed of cells that are large and very heavily 

 granulated (Fig. 2.2). 



In some glands basal or myoepithelial cells are found in the basal 

 layer of alveoli and ducts. They are band-shaped flattened cells or 

 star-shaped with long processes (Fig. 2.36). They may be seen 

 very clearly when stained by Gomori's alkaline phosphatase pro- 

 cedure (Leeson, 1956). The evidence that they are contractile in 

 function is largely presumptive. However, in the mammary gland 

 where myoepithelial cells are well developed their relationship to 

 ''let down", that is, the expulsion of preformed secretion, is well 

 established (Linzell, 1959). 



In different glands the extent of the development of cell types 



