Enhancement of phosphatidylinositol turnover and cyclic nucleotide accumulation by chronic anethole trithione treatment in rat submaxillary glands.

The effect of chronic treatment with anethole trithione (ANTT) on the phosphatidylinositol (PI) turnover and cyclic (c)AMP and cGMP accumulation in rat submaxillary glands (SMG) has been compared with the effect of chronic treatment with atropine and a cholinesterase inhibitor, diisopropylfluorophosphate (dyflos, DFP). Experiments were performed 24, 48 and 24 h after the last dose of ANTT, atropine and dyflos, respectively. ANTT and atropine enhanced carbachol-stimulated [32P] incorporation into phosphatidic acid in the SMG slices, while dyflos showed no effect. Pilocarpine-stimulated in-vivo incorporation of [3H]myoinositol into inositol phosphates was significantly enhanced by ANTT, but not by atropine or by dyflos. Phospholipase C-dependent hydrolysis of phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate was significantly enhanced by ANTT and atropine, but not by dyflos. Pilocarpine-stimulated in-vivo accumulation of cAMP and cGMP was enhanced by ANTT and atropine, but dyflos reduced cAMP accumulation without affecting cGMP accumulation. The enhancement of PI turnover and cyclic nucleotide accumulation seems to contribute to the development of supersensitivity of the salivary gland caused by chronic treatment with ANTT and atropine, while reduction of cAMP accumulation may be responsible for the subsensitivity caused by dyflos.