Biochemical and morphological studies of rat submandibular gland: I. Centrifugal fractionation of granule-rich fraction.

Submandibular glands from male rats were homogenized in 0.34 M sucrose and 0.5 mM ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid in 10 mM HEPES buffer at a pH of 7.4. The extract was centrifuged and filtered through nuclepore filters to prepare a granule-rich fraction. Electron dense zymogen granules constituted approximately 85% of the particles in this fraction which also contained about a third of the total alkaline esterase activity in the gland.