Background: Recent studies have described submandibular gland allografts in animal models; however, the amount of saliva secretion or nervous regeneration in those animals have not been reported. Herein, we investigated saliva secretion from submandibular gland allografts in beagle dogs.
Methods: Using a vascularized submandibular gland transplantation method, we extracted portions of the submandibular gland including the duct from beagle dogs and placed them into the submental region of age- and weight-matched dogs. Differences in the amount of saliva secretion and histologic appearance were compared based on the existence of chorda tympani branches in the allograft.
Results: At 10 weeks after transplantation, the amount of resting saliva in the group grafted with the nerve was clearly increased, whereas the quantity of that in the group that underwent transplantation without the nerve was quite low. In the former group, responses were demonstrated after taste stimulation and electronic nerve stimulation.
Conclusions: Our results showed a clear relationship between the presence of a nerve in grafted submandibular glands and saliva secretion.