Abstract
Summary
The course of amylase and calcium secretion into saliva is described under diverse conditions of autonomic stimulation of parotid. Of special importance is the fact that for the first time calcium levels of saliva were measured under conditions of nerve stimulation. Initial levels of calcium with stimulation of the parasympathetic innervation were as high as those evoked by stimulation of the sympathetic innervation. While calcium and amylase levels were characteristically high with adrenergic stimulation (either following drug administration or nerve stimulation), amylase levels following stimulation of the parasympathetic nerve were characteristically low. In fact, a parallelism between secretion of calcium and amylase was not observed under conditions of cholinergic nerve stimulation, but was observed with adrenergic nerve stimulation. It is suggested that with cholinergic nerve stimulation mediation of calcium and amylase secretion may differ from that observed with adrenergic stimulation.
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