Histology of

salivary glands
Tutorial presentation
Learning Objectives
1- Be able to identify the identify the structure of major
salivary glands (stroma- parenchyma).
2- Be able to identify parotid, submandibular and
sublingual salivary glands on the basis of histological
appearance and by the types of secretion produced by
each gland.
3- Be able to identify striated ducts of the salivary gland
at the light microscope level and correlate the structural
features of the constituent cells to the functions of these
ducts.
4- Know the localization of myoepithelial cells in
relation to the acinar cells.
5- don’t forget the minor salivary glands.
 Glands associated with GIT

- Minor salivary gl saliva

Major Salivary Glands
- Major salivery gl
Minor Salivary Glands

bile
Gastric juice

Intestinal Pancreatic
secretions juice
 Salivary glands
 The main large salivary glands (major salivary glands): two parotid glands present in
front of both ears, two submandibular (submaxillary) glands lie against the inner aspect
of the mandible and two sublingual glands present below the mucous membrane of the
floor of the mouth.

 The accessory small salivary glands (minor salivary glands):

1. Labial (lips)
2. Lingual (tongue)
3. Buccal (cheek)
4. Palatine (Palate)
Most of them are (pure mucous) or (seromucous) glands (except Von Ebner gland of
tongue= pure serous).
 Minor salivary glands
(non-capsulated) Labial Glands
Lingual Glands (Mucous)

N.B: do not forget Von Ebner glands (pure serous)

associated with circumvallate papillae
General structure of main (major) salivary
glands
Stroma:
 C.T. capsule: which cover the whole gland from
outside.
 C.T. Trabeculae: which are the C.T. septa that
divide the gland into lobes and lobules.
 C.T. reticular network: which are present in the
background of the whole gland.
Parenchyma:
 Acini: which are formed of collections of cells,
they secrete saliva.
 Ducts: which are lined by epithelial cells, they
conduct saliva to the mouth cavity.
 A-Parenchyma B-Stroma = Conducting Portion

acini
= Secretory Portion
Loose CT supporting parenchyma
 The secretory part (secretory acini)
1- Serous acini:
L/M
 The cells are pyramidal in shape with non-clear cell boundaries. The
nuclei are central and rounded.
 The cells have basal basophilic and apical acidophilic cytoplasm.
 The lumen is relatively narrow.
E/M
 The cells show the characteristic ultrastructural features of
protein synthesis.
 Abundant rER mainly in the basal region.
 Prominent supranuclear Golgi apparatus.
 Many ribosomes and mitochondria.
 Apical secretory (zymogen) granules.
Function
They produce watery secretion rich in proteins that also contains enzymes.
Mucous acini:
L/M
 The cells are cuboidal in shape with clear
cell boundaries.
 The nuclei are small, basal and flattened.
 The cytoplasm is pale and acidophilic with foamy appearance.
 The lumen is relatively wide.
E/M
 Few cell organoids are found around the basal nucleus.
 Mucous secretory granules occupy most of the cytoplasm.
Function: They produce a thick viscid glycoprotein mucus.
Mucoserous acini:
 They are mixed secretory unit.
 They are made of mucous secreting cells, but in addition,
 a small cap of serous secretory cells is present on one side of
the mucous acinus.
This cap is termed serous Demilune or crescent of Gianuzzi.
N.B: Myoepithelial cells (basket cells)
L/M
 They are branched cells with multiple cytoplasmic processes and central nuclei.
 They are lying between the bases the secretory cells and their basement membrane of
mucous and serous acini.
E/M
 The cytoplasmic processes contain microfilaments; actin and myosin.
Function: Its contraction squeezes the secretion out into the duct system.
A- Histology of the secretory part of parenchyma (Acini)

Serous acinus Mucous acinus Mixed acinus

flat nuclei
 The duct system (execratory part)
1- Intralobular ducts
These ducts are found inside the lobules in-between the secretory acini. They are generally lined by
simple cuboidal epithelium with central rounded nuclei and surrounded by a thin layer of C.T.
They transport the secretory products from the acini to the interlobular excretory ducts.
They are of 2 types:
a- Intercalated ducts: the smallest ducts with narrow lumen, continuous with the lumen of the acini and
have a low cuboidal lining cells.
Function: conduction of secretion, secrete bicarbonate (HCO3-) ions to the acinar secretion, absorb CL-
from the acinar product (so prominent in glands with serous secretion).
b- Striated ducts:
-lined with simple columnar epithelium.
-The cells have a basal striation due to the basal infoldings of the cell membrane and parallel
mitochondria.
Function: - collect secretion from intercalated ducts- (reabsorb Na, secrete K+ and HCO3-)
- secretion of lysozyme that breakdown bacterial cell membrane-
2- Excretory ducts:
a- Interlobular ducts
They are located in C.T. septa between the lobules.
 larger than the intralobular ducts.
They are lined by high columnar cells.
b- Interlobar ducts
They are larger ducts in between lobes of the glands.
They are lined with pseudostratified columnar non ciliated and more distally by stratified
columnar with increasing luminal diameter.
3- Main duct
It is lined with stratified columnar at its beginning, then with stratified squamous epithelium
near its opening in the mouth cavity.
Generally: The larger the duct, the taller lining epith, surrounded by greater amount of CT.
 Functional Structure Of Salivary Glands
(ACINI+ DUCTS)

Execratory
Interlobar Interlobular
duct
duct duct
 B-Histology of the conducting part of parenchyma (Ducts)
I- Intra-lobular II- Excretory ducts III- Main duct

- Lined by stratified
Interlobular+ columner at the
Intercalated ducts Striated ducts Interlobar ducts beginning then, st.
squ. Non keratinized
near its opening in the
mouth cavity

- the smallest duct - Lined by columnar epith - Lined by stratified columnar

- Lined by cuboidal (ion transporting cell). epith (large ducts).
epith. - basal striations - In the septa between lobes
- -within the lobule - central nucleus
 Parotid Glands
Type: Compound tubuloalveolar gland. They are the largest salivary glands,
purely serous and produce about 25% of the total salivary secretion which is rich in IgA.
Stroma of C.T:
Capsule: Thick, well developed and cover the whole gland from outside.
Trabeculae: are thick C.T. septa that divide the gland into
lobes and lobules. The C.T contains many lymphocytes and plasma cells.
Reticular network: present in the background of the whole gland.
Parenchyma:
Acini: are purely serous.
Ducts: prominent duct system (well developed long intercalated and
striated ducts) ,interlobular, interlobar and main ducts.
The main duct (Stensen’s duct) opens onto the inner surface of the check
opposite the second upper molar tooth.
 Submandibular glands
Type: Compound tubuloalveolar gland. They are mixed glands (mostly serous in
human) and produce about 70% of the total salivary volume.
Stroma of C.T.
Capsule: is thick, well developed and cover the whole gland from outside.
Trabeculae: are thin C.T. septa that divide the gland into lobes
and lobules, less fat cells.
Reticular network: present in the background of the whole gland.
Parenchyma
Acini: are mixed gland (predominate serous acini with some
mucous acini and mucous acini with serous demilune) is present.
Ducts: consists of less prominent ducts (intercalated and striated
ducts), intralobular, interlobular, interlobar and main
ducts. The main duct (Wharton’s duct) opens onto the floor of the
oral cavity just lateral to the frenulum of the tongue.
 Sublingual gland
Type: Compound tubuloalveolar gland. They are mixed glands (mostly mucous in human)
and produce about 5% of the total salivary volume.
Stroma of C.T.
Capsule: is thin capsule and cover the whole gland from outside.
Trabeculae: are thick C.T. septa that divide the gland into
lobes and lobules. Few fat cells.
Reticular network: present in the background of the whole gland.
Parenchyma
Acini: are mixed gland (predominately mucous acini with
some serous demilunes) but pure serous acini are rarely present.
Ducts: few intralobular ducts (poor, short intercalated
and striated ducts difficult to locate), intralobular, interlobular, interlobar and main
ducts. Multiple small ducts open into the floor of the mouth
and into the submandibular duct.
 How to differentiate between the three major salivary glands
Pure Serous salivary gland Mixed salivary gland Mixed salivary gland
Parotid Submandibular (human) Sublingual
Serous acini only. • Predimonately serous, few Predominantly mucus, few
Large number of ducts mucous, mixed acini mixed acini
(well developed duct syst)

MA

MA

StD serous
demilune
MA
Practical slides of
salivary glands
Mucous
acini
Serous
acini
 II- parotid
gland (pure
serous gland)
N.B: no
mucous acini,
++ adipose
tissue
 II-
Submandibular
gland
(mixed gland)
N.B:
predominately
serous
 II-
Sublingual
gland
(mixed
gland)
N.B:
MOSTLY
mucous
- Identify the structure (parotid….submandibular
…sublingual….)
- Type of this gland (pure serous gland…..mixed
gland)
- The arrow points to (striated duct….serous acinus
…..mucous acinus etc)…
- Mention the secretion of this structure….. (pure
serous secretion…. Mixed secretion predominately
mucous, Mixed secretion predominately serous….)