Ultrastructure of the ferret parotid gland
Jacob, S.; Poddar, S.
Journal of Anatomy 152: 37-45
1987
ISSN/ISBN: 0021-8782 PMID: 3654374 Document Number: 290528
Parotid glands of two male and two female adult ferrets were examined using electron microscopy. The seromucous acinar cells contained an abundance of rough endoplasmic reticulum, an extensive Golgi complex, and electron dense granules with a denser spot in each. The acinar lumen and the intercellular canaliculi were lined by a large number of prominent microvilli suggesting copious salvia production. The intercalated ducts were long and in their proximal part the cells contained small electron-dense granules, whereas the distal portions were lined by agranular cells. The majority of cells in the intralobular striated ducts contained a large number of granules. These granules were of varying shapes and sizes and were moderately electron-dense. Each granule had a close fitting membranous envelope. The histochemical nature of these granules is not known at present. The agranular cells of the striated duct had a prominent Golgi zone, free ribosomes and few lysosomes. Both the agranular and granular duct cells had many mitochondria towards the basal regions of the cells but they did not have marked plications of the basal plasmalemma or vertically orientated elongated mitochondria as seen in many other species. The excretory ducts resembled the intralobular striated ducts. No sexual dimorphism was observed in the ferret parotid gland.