| Abstract: | The effect of chronic treatment with cystic fibrosis (CF) fibroblast medium on rat submandibular gland and pancreas was investigated. Rats were injected for 8 days with conditioned medium from normal or CF fibroblasts. The elemental content of the acinar cells was measured by X-ray microanalysis of cryosections. A significant increase in cellular calcium, and a decrease in cellular sodium concentrations were found after treatment with CF medium. The ultrastructure of the submandibular acinar cells was not affected by the conditioned CF fibroblast culture medium. No effect of treatment with CF medium on ultrastructure and elemental content of pancreatic acinar cells could be demonstrated. The response to alpha-adrenergic, beta-adrenergic, cholinergic, and peptidergic stimulation in submandibular gland acinar cells of rats injected with normal or CF medium was investigated in vitro. With regard to changes in elemental composition after stimulation, no significant differences in response between the two groups could be found. Apparently, a factor in conditioned medium from cultured CF fibroblasts induces a net increase in calcium content of rat submandibular gland acinar cells. Possibly, this factor acts in a similar way in CF patients and may cause elevated calcium levels in CF cells. |
