Functional and proteomic analysis of submandibular saliva in rats exposed to chronic stress by immobilization or constant light

Differences in body weight and food intake between IMO and LL might be attributed to the sort and intensity of stressors stimuli. The changes in the volume of secreted saliva could be a compensatory mechanism in response to stressors. The increase of total protein in IMO rats and the absence of 25 kDa proteins in LL, would suggest that the submandibular glands respond to the sympathetic nervous system stimuli induced by the stress with an increase of activity of the sympathetic nerves in IMO and a reduction in LL rats.