Lectin binding patterns in salivary glands treated with amylase

Lectin binding patterns of ConA (Glc, Man), PNA and SBA (Gal, GalNAc), RCA-I (Gal) DBA (GalNAc), WGA (GlcNAc), and UEA-I (Fuc) in the major salivary glands of mice, rats, hamsters, and guinea pigs were reported using paraffin sections subjected to alpha-amylase treatment at 1, 3, and 6 h digestions. Lectin staining following treatment with amylase was generally enhanced in acinar, duct, and GCT cells. However, increasingly different reactions were obtained depending upon the lectins used, the various salivary glands from different specimens treated, and the different properties of the serous, mucous, and sero-mucous cells in the histologic sections. The lectins that demonstrated rather markedly increased staining were ConA, PNA, SBA, WGA, and UEA-I, whereas RCA-I and DBA increased little in comparison, or actually decreased. It appears from these findings that complex carbohydrates within murine salivary glands contained large amount of glucose, mannose, galactose, and N-acetyl galactosamine residues. The basement membranes of glandular cells in salivary glands demonstrated markedly positive ConA staining following alpha-amylase digestion.