SALIVARY GLANDS

Three major salivary glands:

Parotid- paired gland. located anterior and inferior to

the external ear, are largest of salivary glands.

Submandibular (submaxillary)- paired, located inferior

to the mandible in the floor of the mouth.

Sublingual- smallest salivary gland, are aggregates of

smaller glands located inferior to the tongue.

Salivary glands convey their secretions into mouth via

large excretory ducts.

Salivary glands are composed of cellular secretory

units, Acini and numerous excretory ducts.

Cells of the salivary gland acini

Two types:
1. Serous
2. Mucous
SEROUS CELLS:
pyramidal in shape.
Round or spherical nuclei displaced basally by secretory
granules that accumulate in the upper or apical region of
cytoplasm.

MUCOUS CELLS:
Similar in shape to serous, but their cytoplasm is
completely filled with a light staining secretory product,
mucus.
Flatten nucleus, squeezed up against the bases of cells that
contain them due to accumulation of secretory granules.

SEROUS DEMILUNES:
In some salivary glands, there is a presence of both

serous and mucous cells in same secretory acini i.e.

mixed acini.

In this mixed acini where mucous cells predominate

serous cells form a crescent or moon shaped cap over

the mucous cell, called serous demilunes.

Secretions from serous cells in the demilunes enter the

lumen of acinus through tiny intercellular canaliculi

between mucous cells.

MYOEPITHELIAL CELLS:
Flattened cells that surrounds both serous and mucous

acini.

Highly branched and contractile. Also known as basket

cells, because they surround the acini with their branches

like a basket.

Located between the cell membrane of secretory cells in

acini and the surrounding basement membrane.

It is believed that contractions of these cell, release the

secretion from the secretory units into the ducts.

Serous acini

Salivary gland ducts

Connective tissue fibres subdivide the salivary gland into

numerous lobules, in which the secretory units and their

excretory ducts are found.
INTERCALATED DUCTS :
Both serous, mucous and mixed secretory acini initially
empty their secretions into it.
Smaller duct in salivary glands with small lumina, lined by
low cuboidal epithelium.
Myoepithelial cells surrounds some portion of intercalated
ducts.

STRIATED DUCTS:
Several intercalated ducts merge to form striated ducts.
Lined by columnar epithelium, exhibit tiny basal

striations.
EXCRETORY INTRALOBULAR DUCTS:
Striated ducts, in turn, join to form larger intralobular
ducts of gradually increasing size that are surrounded by
increased layer of connective tissue fibres .

INTERLOBULAR AND INTERLOBAR DUCTS:

Intralobular ducts join to form the larger

interlobular ducts and interlobar ducts.

Terminal portion of these large ducts convey saliva
from the salivary glands to oral cavity.
Larger interlobular duct may be lined with stratified
epithelium either low cuboidal or columnar.

Parotid gland
(serous)

Submandibular
gland (mixed)

Submandibular
gland (mixed)

Sublingual
gland
(mucous)

Sublingual
gland
(mucous)

THANK YOU