Effect of gonadal hormones on submandibular gland amylase activity in male and female C57BL/6J mice.

Submandibular gland amylase activity in C57BL/6J mice of both sexes was determined in intact controls, in gonadectomized animals, and in gonadectomized animals following the administration of testosterone propionate or estradiol benzoate. Amylase activity was 3 times higher in the glands of intact males than in those of intact females. Castration caused a reduction in the amylase activity in the glands of males to less than £ the control value, but not to the low level found in females. Activity in the glands of ovariectomized females remained unchanged. The administration of testosterone propionate to gonadectomized males and females raised the activity to the same value in both sexes, a level higher than that observed in intact males. The administration of estradiol benzoate to castrated males raised amylase activity to a value significantly higher than in ovariectomized females receiving the same treatment. An increase in amylase activity does not appear to be dependent upon an increase in submandibular gland weight. These results are discussed in the light of observations reported by previous investigators. (Endocrinology 76: 776, 1965) /CONSIDERABLE interest in the horv>< monal control of submandibular gland activity in mice and other rodents has been shown since Lacassagne (1) demonstrated a sexual dimorphism of this gland in 1940. Raynaud and Rebeyrotte (2, 3) have reported that the amylase activity is higher in the saliva of male mice than in the saliva of female mice and that castration of males lowers amylase activity to female levels. In contrast, Junqueira et al. (4) were unable to detect a difference in amylase activity in extracts of salivary glands from mice of either sex. In an abstract of a paper presented before the American Society of Zoologists in 1957, Harvey (5) reported that following castration there is a reduction in amylase activity in extracts of glands from males, but not in those from glands of ovariectomized Received August 17,1964. This study was supported in part by USPHS Research Grant A-4357 from the National Institutes of Health, by USPHS Research Grant CA-00362-15 from the National Cancer Institute, and by Institutional Grant 83701G from the American Cancer Society. females. She reported further that the administration of either testosterone or estradiol following gonadectomy stimulated an increase in amylase levels in the glands of both sexes. Comparable levels for intact animals of both sexes were not given; nor were any quantitative data presented. Unfortunately, Dr. Harvey died before she was able to prepare a comprehensive account of her work. In the present study, data were obtained from the analysis of submandibular gland homogenates which demonstrate unequivocally that amylase activity in C57BL/6J mice is higher in the glands of males than in those of females, and that testosterone propionate stimulates an increase in activity in the glands of gonadectomized mice of both sexes. In addition, submandibular gland amylase activities found following the administration of graded doses of estradiol benzoate to gonadectomized male and female mice are presented. Materials and Methods One hundred and ten adult C57BL/6J mice, 54 males and 57 females, were used. Eight mice of each sex were reserved as normal, intact con-