beta 1- and beta 2-adrenoceptor agonists have different effects on rat parotid acinar cells.

To determine whether beta 1- and beta 2-adrenoceptors have similar functions in salivary glands, Sprague-Dawley rats were chronically treated with either the beta 1-selective (prenalterol), beta 2-selective (terbutaline), or the nonselective beta-agonist isoproterenol. All three agonists increased parotid and submandibular gland weight and acinar cell size. Isoproterenol and prenalterol caused marked quantitative and qualitative alterations in the granule population, whereas terbutaline had no effect. A single injection of isoproterenol caused a significant amylase release and accumulation of cAMP. Prenalterol was as potent as isoproterenol with regard to amylase release but was without effect on the cAMP content. In contrast, terbutaline had a minimal effect on amylase release but had the same effect as isoproterenol on cAMP accumulation. The in vitro perifusion experiments confirmed these in vivo results with respect to the effects of the selective beta-agonists. Thus, the present investigation using both morphological and biochemical methods suggests that beta 1- and beta 2-adrenoceptors may have different functions in rat parotid acinar cells. In addition, the stimulus-growth coupling seems to be unrelated to stimulus-secretion coupling.