Induction of experimental allergic sialadenitis in mice

This article reports that sialadenitis developed in female CRJ:CD-1 mice thymectomized 3 days after birth and later immunized with a homogenate of the submandibular salivary gland emulsified with complete Freund's adjuvant. Significant inflammatory changes did not develop in various control groups, including animals thymectomized at Day 3 but not immunized and animals not thymectomized on the day of birth but immunized. Because a more marked decrease of Lyt 2+ cells was found in mice thymectomized on Day 3 after birth than in neonatally thymectomized mice, thymectomy at 3 days of age is more effective for the induction of sialadenitis, presumably by markedly decreasing a population of suppressor T cells. The lesions observed in mice with sialadenitis were mostly composed of small and medium-sized lymphocytes stained by anti-Thy 1.2 and Lyt 2 antibodies and in later stages by immunoglobulin-containing cells in the periphery of inflammatory lesions.