Submandibular Salivary Gland Endocrine Secretions and Systemic Pathophysiological Responses

Saliva is an exocrine secretion with the fluid and its components being dispensed into ducts. However, a significant component of salivary gland secretions is found in blood indicating endocrine secretion. The growth factors and hormones secreted into the blood by salivary glands manifest their actions in the face of stressful and often inflammatory stimuli, such as injury, trauma and infections, and they do not participate overtly in the regulation of the resting homeostatic steady state. This type of regulation is called allostasis, which encompasses the processes involved in maintaining systems balance in response to persistent changes, challenges, insults and injury. Viewing salivary gland endocrine secretions as having important roles in regulating responses to systemic stressors by modulating allostatic load provides a new perspective for understanding the role of salivary glands in modulation of systemic disease and pathology.