A 20-year-old woman who had a main symptom of intermittent pain in both mandibular third molar visited our hospital. In CBCT findings, the #38, 48 teeth were located on the lingual side of the inferior alveolar nerve. In addition, a large stone about 12mm in length was observed in the right Wharton's duct in CBCT findings. Neck CT scan was performed and a large stone about 12mm in length was observed, and the accumulation of saliva in the rear of the stone was observed. The patient underwent sialolithotomy and #38, 48 tooth extraction through intraoral approach under general anesthesia. The removed stone was similar in shape and color to a tooth. The removed stone was markedly fragmented and composed of dentin and enamel-like tissue which showed lamellate arrangement in microscopic examination. Patient was presently symptom free after 10-months postoperatively.

Pleomorphic adenoma is the most common benign tumor of the salivary glands. About 80-90% of pleomorphic adenoma occurs in the parotid gland and about 5-10% of them occur in the submandibular gland and sublingual gland. The rest proportion comprises the minor salivary glands. The palate is the most common area, followed by the lips and the cheeks. Pleomorphic adenoma of the submandibular gland shows clinically a slow-growing, painless mass found on submandibular aspect. In this case report, we report a case of pleomorphic adenoma of the right submandibular gland in a 63-year old female patient who was referred from the department of neurosurgery, due to the heterogenous mass detected by computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)

Mammals have 3 pairs of major salivary glands i.e., the parotid, submandibular, and sublingual glands. Saliva secretion of these glands is modulated by taste perception. Salivary glands are composed mainly of acinar and ductal cells. Primary saliva is secreted by acinar cells and modified during ductal flow. Recently, of the murine 35 bitter taste receptors, Tas2r108 was expressed at highest levels in the submandibular gland by qPCR. Further, Tas2r108-transfected cells respond to a range of bitter compounds, such as denatonium, quinine, colchicine, diphenidol, caffeine and dapson. The objective of the present study was to characterize the expression of Tas2r108 mRNA in acinar and/or ductal cells of the submandibular gland using in situ hybridization (ISH). Male 42-60 days old DBA2 mice were used in the study. Messenger RNAs were extracted from the submandibular gland for generating digoxigenin (DIG) labeled-cRNA probes. These probes were transcribed in anti-sense and sense orientation using T7 RNA polymerase. Dot blot hybridization was performed using DIG labeled-cRNA probes, in order to estimate integrity and optimal diluting concentration of these probes. Subsequently, ISH was performed on murine submandibular gland to detect Tas2r108 mRNA. Dot blot hybridization data demonstrated that Tas2r108 DIG labeled-cRNA anti-sense probes specifically detected Tas2r108 cDNA. ISH results showed that the anti-sense probes labeled acinar and ductal cells in the submandibular gland, whereas no staining was visible in sense controls. Interestingly, the Tas2r108 expression levels were higher in acinar than ductal cells. These results suggested that Tas2r108 might be more associated with primary saliva secretion than with ductal modification of saliva composition.

The salivary gland undergoes complex process of growth and differentiation of the branching morphogenesis of ductal system during the prenatal and early postnatal periods which are regulated by various elements in the extracellular matrix. Extracellular matrix metalloproteinase inducer (EMMPRIN) is a cell adhesion molecule. In the present study, localization and expression of EMMPRIN in development and effects of chorda-lingual denervation and cyclosporine A (CsA) treatment on the EMMPRIN expression were investigated. Immunohistochemistry, RT-PCR and Western blot were used to determine expression level. Immunohistochemistry revealed that EMMPRIN was localized specifically in the cytoplasm of ductal cells, not acini of the submandibular gland all the postnatal periods. At prenatal day 18, when the formation of ducts was not definite, no immunoreactivity was observed. Both Western blot and RT-PCR analyses revealed that EMMPRIN expression was maintained up to postnatal day 7, decreased after postnatal day 10. The EMMPRIN expression was upregulated by the surgical denervation of the chorda-lingual nerve in the gland as well as by the CsA treatment. The present study suggests that EMMPRIN is a crucial molecule for maintaining physiological functions of the salivary gland.

We present a case of intraparotid plexiform neurofibroma in a 7-year-old man. The lesion was determined as plexiform neuroma in histopathological findings, but final diagnosis was plexiform neurofibroma considering his familiy history of neurofibromatosis and café au lait spots on his body. Currently we are executing follow-up after removing the tumor with surgery. Plexiform neurofibroma can develope at any point along a nerve and spread out either just under the skin or deeper in the body. According to the literature, the most common site of plexiform neurofibroma is mouth and face in the head and neck region. Also, plexiform neurofibroma occurs at 8.8-year-old in neurofibromatosis typeⅠ patient with familial history. Because of interlacing with adjacent normal tissue and the invasive nature we have difficult resecting the mass completely. So when the tumor turns symptomatic or disfiguring leading to an aesthetic problem, surgery had better be undertaken.

In the previous molecular cloning study from human salivary gland cDNA l ibrary a novel clone (C77-091) was known as a candidate gene for antimicrobial protein by GenBank database search and RNA in situ hybridization. This study is aimed to identify the molecular characteristics of C77-091 protein, which showed an antimicrobial activity on E.coli, thereby named as salivary antimicrobial protein (SAMP). SAMP consisted of a typical hydrophobic amino acid rich domain in the N-terminus, a cluster of basic amino acids, carbohydrate attachment site, a possible transglutaminase catalyzed cross-linking site, and multiple consensus sequences of phosphorylation site in the C-terminus. Western blot analysis of human organs and tissue with the monospecific antibody to the synthetic SAMP peptide showed strong interacting protein from the extracts from submandibular gland and parotid saliva but absent in the mixed saliva, and the immunohistochemical staining detected a strong positive regions in the secretory granules in the luminal cytoplasm of interlobular ductal cells of salivary gland. The SAMP was also distributed in the human sebaceous gland and prostate. These data suggest that C77-091 named SAMP gene is a novel antimicrobial protein in human salivary gland, which may play a role for the innate immunity by protecting and stabilizing the mucosal epithelium to maintain homeostasis of oral mucosa.

Agi ng adversely affects the structure and function of the saliva ry gla nd and leads to ma rked insulin resis t ance that correlates with red uced ins ulin s ignal t ra nsduction, lnsulin-like g rowth factors are k.nown to be regulator involved in embryonic a nd postnatal development with sequences 62% identical t o that of proins ulin , To determine whether i n suli n- like growth facto l' - l, -2, - 1 receptor a l'e involved in the changes in rat salival'y gland by aging, we a na lyzecl the qua nti tation of 19f - 1, -2, - 1 rece ptor mRNA in l'at salivary glancl between 2 weeks and 26 months after bir th using the competiti ve reverse t ra nscriptase-polymerase chain reaction(RT-PCR) methocl Between 2 weeks ancl 2 months age, sharp falls in the qua nt ities of Igf-2 mRNA were observed, W11ereas Igf- 1 receptor mRNA rose by aging, but not sig nifïcantly, The quanti t ies of 19f- l kept by aging, These change seem to be involvecl a role fol' the Igf-2 in sali va ry c1evelopment a ncl earl y growth is incli ca ted, Thus, t he dras tic changes in the qua ntities of Igf-2 mRNA in the ra t sali va ry gla nd by aging seem to be in volved in the development, early growth and homeostasis of sali vary gla nd,

Established SGT cell line from human submandibular gland adenocarcinoma was used to study the TGase expression on a cellular level in vitro. Transglutaminase 2(TGase 2) is assoacitated with apoptosis, GTP binding protein, and cell marix interaction. The role of TGase 2 in salivary gland tumors is not clear yet. The pupose of this study were to examine the TGase expression of SGT cell line compared to other tumor cell lines, and to apply these results to the pathogenesis of salivary gland tumor. TGase enzyme assay of SGT, SCC-15, HN 4 and HeLa tumor cell line was 3 times repeated, and calculated. Immunoslot blot for semiquantitative protein analysis was done. The obtained results were as follows. 1. SGT cell line showed the highest TGase 2 enzyme activity(about 6-16 folds) irrespective of pre or postconfluency. 2. HN 4 cell line showed the highest TGase 1 enzyme activity(about 2-3 folds) irrespective of pre or postconfluency. 3. Under postconfluency TGase 1 induction was not induced, but slightly increased in all tumor cell lines. 4. TGase enzyme activity in all tumor cell lines was accompanied with TGase protein formation. From the aboving results, the higher TGase 2 expression of SGT cell line suggested that they would come from submandibular ductal cells and have a important role in the pathogensis of salivary gland tumors.