Immunohistological studies on ABH-activities in secretory cells of human major salivary glands--correlation between ABH-activities in the secretory cells and secretor-nonsecretor.

The activities of A, B and H in serous cells (S-cells), mucous cells (M-cells) and excretory duct cells were examined in a large number of paraffin sections of three major salivary glands obtained from 91 corpses, using the immunofluorescence technique. The results are: By taking H activity in S-cells of the submandibular gland or A, B and H activity in M-cells of the sublingual gland as an indicator, the salivary glands were classified as Type I showing activity and Type II showing no activity. No glands corresponding to the intermediate type, as seen in the case of saliva, were noted at all. Among 91 corpses, 70 cases were classified as Type I and 21 as Type II. The results matched well with those of Lewis type tested on blood. The frequencies of the typing (Type I; 76.9%, Type II; 23.1%) were approximately in concordance with those of secretor and nonsecretor in Japanese saliva. From these results, it was assessed that the former corresponded to the secretor type in the case of saliva, and the latter to the nonsecretor type. Even in the same individual, both S-cells and M-cells exhibited different productivities of substances, depending on the glands to which they belonged. Namely, only S-cells in the submandibular gland belonging to Type I showed only H activity independent of the blood group of the individual, but the other S-cells in the other major glands did not show any activity for A, B and H. M-cells exhibited strong activity for H and/or A and/or B in the sublingual and submandibular gland and belonged to Type I, but little activity in the sublingual gland belonged to Type II. In the submandibular gland of Type II, some M-cells showed activity and others did not. On the basis of the above results, we discuss the applicability of the present genetic theory concerning the secretor and nonsecretor type in saliva to salivary glands and cells, and further refer to the reasons for appearance of the weak secretor type or intermediate type in saliva.