Salivary Glands – Tutorial

Please read Unit 10 – Introduction to Digestive System Tissues and study the image slider of the four major layers of the digestive tract wall prior to completing the activities in this chapter.

Introduction to the Salivary Glands

Humans possess three pair of salivary glands that secrete a variety of substances known collectively as saliva into the oral cavity to assist in the mastication, swallowing, and digestion of food.  The three pair of salivary glands are the parotid glands, sublingual glands, and submandibular glands.  Each pair of glands is unique in their histological characteristics and in the composition of the secretions they produce.

The parotid glands are located just under the skin anterior to the ear and superficial to the masseter muscle.  The parotid glands consist primarily of clusters of secretory cells known as serous acini that secrete a serous (watery) fluid containing large amounts of the enzyme salivary amylase.  Salivary amylase starts the breakdown of complex carbohydrates (polysaccharides) known as starches.

The sublingual glands are located under the tongue in the floor of the mouth.  The sublingual glands consist primarily of clusters of mucus-secreting cells known as mucous acini and fewer scattered serous acini that secrete a watery liquid.  The mucus produced by the sublingual glands acts as a buffer and a lubricant to assist the swallowing of food.

The submandibular glands are located in a depression along the medial surfaces of the mandible.  The submandibular glands consist of a combination of mucous acini that secrete mucus that acts as a lubricant to assist in the swallowing of food and serous acini that secrete a watery mixture containing amylase enzymes that start the breakdown of starches.

Tutorial:  Use the image slider below to learn more about the structure and characteristics of salivary glands. 

Microscopy:  Use the image slider below to learn how to use a microscope to study the salivary glands on a microscope slide.

Tutorial:  Use the hotspot image below to learn more about the structure and function of the parotid glands.  

Tutorial:  Use the hotspot image below to learn more about the structure and function of the sublingual glands.  

Tutorial:  Use the hotspot image below to learn more about the structure and function of the submandibular glands.  

Tutorial:  Use the image slider below to study numerous examples of tissue from the salivary glands.