A NEW EFFECT OF RESERPINE: ACCUMULATION OF GLYCOPROTEIN IN THE SUBMAXILLARY GLAND

¹ Laboratory of Chemical Pharmacology, National Heart Institute, and Laboratory of Neuroanatomical Sciences, National Institute of Neurological Diseases and Blindness, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland

Reserpine administered to the rat causes a 4- to 5-fold accumulation in the submaxillary gland of certain glycoproteins which can be characterized by trichloracetic acid solubility and subsequent precipitation by phosphotungstic acid. There is an apparent lag period after which a long-lasting accumulation occurs. The sugars, fucose and N-acetylneuraminic acid, which reside on the terminal portion of the oligosaccharide, both show increases of about the same magnitude as the protein. The response to reserpine appears to be independent of any of the known autonomic effects of this drug. Surgical removal of the superior cervical ganglion, parasympathetic decentralization by section of the chorda tympani and the use of various inhibitors all failed to cause accumulation of glycoprotein. The response to reserpine could still be obtained in the denervated or decentralized glands. The evidence indicates that the effect cannot be attributed to activation of the pituitary-adrenal system through a stress response.