Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 2, 2026

Ex Vivo Release of Calcitonin Gene-Related Peptide from the Trigeminovascular System in Rodents
Published on: May 16, 2022
Calcitonin is expressed in the submaxillary glands of rats
Yongli Zhang1, Baoli Li2, Zhaoying Fu3
1Department of Endocrinology, Affiliated Hospital of Yanan University, No. 43 North Street, 716000 Yanan, China.
Abstract:
Calcitonin is usually produced by the parafollicular cells of the thyroid. However in an immunohistochemistry experiment we observed that the cells of the serous acini of rat submaxillary gland tissue were stained positive with calcitonin antibodies. We further used immunocytochemistry and nucleic acid hybridization to localize the distribution of calcitonin protein and calcitonin mRNA respectively in cultivated cells of rat submaxillary glands. The results showed that the cytoplasm of the epithelial cells of the submaxillary glands had positive staining in immunocytochemistry using calcitonin monoclonal antibody and positive reaction in nucleic acid hybridization using calcitonin mRNA complementary DNA probe. For the first time we found that the cells of the submaxillary glands of rats can produce the hormone calcitonin.
Related Concept Videos
Synthesis and Functions of Calcitonin
The exact mechanisms by which calcitonin operates in calcium homeostasis remain elusive, but its significance is evident in several vital...
Hormones and Bone Tissue
Hormones That Influence Osteoblasts and/or Maintain the Matrix
Several hormones are necessary for controlling bone growth and maintaining the bone matrix. The pituitary gland secretes growth hormone (GH), which, as its name implies, controls bone growth. This happens in several ways: first, it triggers chondrocyte...
The Parathyroid Glands
Oxyphil cells, whose functions remain elusive, emerge during late puberty, adding a layer of complexity to the parathyroid gland's intricacies. In contrast, principal parathyroid cells undertake a vital role by...

