Examination of Changes in the Remaining Submandibular Gland after Resection of the Contralateral Salivary Gland

Salivary glands are exocrine glands that secrete saliva, which plays an important role in the maintenance of oral health. Few reports exist on the contralateral salivary gland that is not directly affected when one salivary gland is affected by sialolithiasis, radiation therapy, or a tumor. In the present study, we investigated the changes in the contralateral submandibular gland in mice following the excision of unilateral salivary gland. Outcomes of this study showed that the unilateral submandibular and sublingual glands resection resulted in a significant increase in the weight of the remaining submandibular gland after 21 days following the unilateral resection of salivary gland. The appearance rate of the proliferating cells by cell type constituting the submandibular gland parenchyma significantly increased in the acinar cells of the contralateral submandibular gland, 7 days after unilateral resection of the submandibular and sublingual glands. This suggests that the unilateral submandibular and sublingual glands resection resulted in proliferation of the acinar cells in the contralateral submandibular gland. The area of the acini comprising the submandibular gland significantly increased in the remaining submandibular gland after 21 days following unilateral salivary gland resection, suggesting that the acinar cells proliferated as early as 7 days after salivary gland resection, resulting in increased acinar area and submandibular gland weight at 21 days post resection. The increased weight of the remaining contralateral submandibular gland may be attributable to the resection, owing to the proliferation and increased area of the acinar cells to compensate for the loss of salivary gland function.