Regeneration of the parotid gland in the rat

Summary Parotid gland regeneration was studied in rats in which all of the left gland and part (50–60%) of the right had been removed. In young rats weighing 60–100 g, regeneration occurred in 19% of cases, as judged by the restoration of the weight of the organ. The weight of the glands did not always reach the initial level, however, and averaged 80% of the weight in control animals.The number of cases with gland regeneration increased in adult rats when the capsule was left open after the operation. Histological investigation showed that regeneration does not occur by growth starting at the injured surface, but rather by the proliferation of the secretory epithelium (regenerative hypertrophy) of the acini over the whole organ.(Presented by Active Member AMN SSSR V. V. Parin) Translated from Byulleten' Éksperimental'noi Biologii i Meditsiny, Vol. 50, No. 10, pp. 113–118, October, 1960