Defense Mechanisms Against Acid Exposure by Dental Enamel Formation, Saliva and Pancreatic Juice Production

Title:Defense Mechanisms Against Acid Exposure by Dental Enamel Formation, Saliva and Pancreatic Juice Production

Volume: 24 Issue: 18

Author(s): Robert Racz, Akos Nagy, Zoltan Rakonczay , Erika Katalin Dunavari, Gabor Gerber and Gabor Varga*

Affiliation:

• Department of Oral Biology, Semmelweis University, Budapest,Hungary

Keywords: Salivary gland, pancreas, acinar cell, ductal cell, dental enamel, ameloblast, bicarbonate, acid, defense.

Abstract: The pancreas, the salivary glands and the dental enamel producing ameloblasts have marked developmental, structural and functional similarities. One of the most striking similarities is their bicarbonate-rich secretory product, serving acid neutralization. An important difference between them is that while pancreatic juice and saliva are delivered into a lumen where they can be collected and analyzed, ameloblasts produce locally precipitating hydroxyapatite which cannot be easily studied. Interestingly, the ion and protein secretion by the pancreas, the salivary glands, and maturation ameloblasts are all two-step processes, of course with significant differences too. As they all have to defend against acid exposure by producing extremely large quantities of bicarbonate, the failure of this function leads to deteriorating consequences. The aim of the present review is to describe and characterize the defense mechanisms of the pancreas, the salivary glands and enamel-producing ameloblasts against acid exposure and to compare their functional capabilities to do this by producing bicarbonate.

Cite this article as:

Racz Robert , Nagy Akos , Rakonczay Zoltan , Dunavari Katalin Erika , Gerber Gabor and Varga Gabor *, Defense Mechanisms Against Acid Exposure by Dental Enamel Formation, Saliva and Pancreatic Juice Production, Current Pharmaceutical Design 2018; 24 (18) . https://dx.doi.org/10.2174/1381612824666180515125654