99TcmO4 as an indicator for specialized cell function in organ cultures of the human submaxillary gland. A pilot study.

Salivary gland tissue was cultured in vitro and viable cells were present during 14 days. The specific glandular cell function was estimated from the capacity to accumulate 99TcmO4 from the culture medium. The morphology of the cultured specimens was examined by light and electron microscopy. Structural changes and loss of the 99TcmO4 accumulation capacity increased with increasing culture time in vitro. A correlation was observed between the loss of 99TcmO4 accumulation capacity and the disappearance of zymogen granules from the cultured cells. However, the causative link between these two phenomena requires further analysis.