Intraspecies variation in methacholine-stimulated esterase release from mouse submandibular gland

Esterase release was investigated in male and female submandibular glands of 5 strains of mice (ICR/BR, ND/4BR, SW/BR, DDS/Cox and C57BL/6BR) using dispersed cells prepared by treatment with collagenase and hyaluronidase. The muscarinic-cholinergic agonist methacholine stimulated esterase release in C57BL/6BR, DDS/Cox and SW/BR females and DDS/Cox males in a dose-dependent manner, but did not stimulate esterase release in ICR/BR and ND/4BR strains of both sexes. The percentage release of esterase over control in response to methacholine in females was of the descending order: C57BL/6BR, DDS/Cox, SW/BR, ND/4BR, ICR/BR. There was a close relationship between the percentage release of esterase by methacholine and the esterase activity in homogenate of submandibular gland. The lower the esterase content in the homogenate of mouse submandibular gland, the higher the percentage release of esterase by methacholine stimulation in the dispersed cells.