Abstract

A radio-gas chromatographic method to measure choline and acetylchoine specific activities in tissue extracts has been used to study the effect of parasympathetic decentralization (chorda tympani section) and duct ligation on turnover rates of acetylcholine in the submaxillary and sublingual glands of rats, in vivo. Steady-state kinetic principles were used in the mathematical analysis of the precursor product relationship assuming a simplified kinetic model. This analysis indicates that decentralization significantly reduces acetylcholine turnover rate in the salivary glands, whereas duct ligation has no significant effect on this turnover rate.