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Salivary Gland, Parotid - Basophilic Hypertrophic Focus

Image of basophilic hypertrophic focus in the parotid salivary gland from a female F344/N rat in a chronic study
Salivary gland, Parotid - Basophilic hypertrophic focus in a female F344/N rat from a chronic study. A focus of hypertrophied cells with increased basophilia is present (arrow).
Figure 1 of 5
Image of basophilic hypertrophic focus in the parotid salivary gland from a female F344/N rat in a chronic study
Salivary gland, Parotid - Basophilic hypertrophic focus in a female F344/N rat from a chronic study (higher magnification of Figure 1). A focus of hypertrophied cells with increased basophilia is present (arrow).
Figure 2 of 5
Image of basophilic hypertrophic focus in the parotid salivary gland from a male F344/N rat in a chronic study
Salivary gland, Parotid - Basophilic hypertrophic focus in a male F344/N rat from a chronic study. Multiple foci of hypertrophied cells with increased basophilia are present (arrows).
Figure 3 of 5
Image of basophilic hypertrophic focus in the parotid salivary gland from a female F344/N rat in a chronic study
Salivary gland, Parotid - Basophilic hypertrophic focus in a female F344/N rat from a chronic study. Multiple foci of hypertrophied cells with increased basophilia are present (arrows).
Figure 4 of 5
Image of basophilic hypertrophic focus in the parotid salivary gland from a male F344/N rat in a subchronic study
Salivary gland, Parotid - Basophilic hypertrophic focus in a male F344/N rat from a subchronic study (higher magnification of Figure 4). Multiple foci of hypertrophied cells with increased basophilia are present (arrows).
Figure 5 of 5
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comment:

Basophilic hypertrophic foci of the salivary glands have been found only in the parotid gland in mice and rats and usually occur singly ( Figure 1image opens in a pop-up window and Figure 2image opens in a pop-up window ), although multiple foci may be observed ( Figure 3image opens in a pop-up window , Figure 4image opens in a pop-up window , and Figure 5image opens in a pop-up window ). The foci consist of focal clusters of enlarged acinar cells that contain increased amounts of cytoplasm and, sometimes, enlarged nuclei. The apical cytoplasm is usually vacuolated and pale, while the basilar cytoplasm is deeply basophilic. This change may be seen occasionally in untreated rats, but chemicals, including doxylamine, have produced this change in the parotid gland of F344 rats. This change is not thought to be preneoplastic.

recommendation:

When a single focus is present, it should be diagnosed as "basophilic hypertrophic focus." Multiple foci should be diagnosed as "basophilic hypertrophic focus, multiple." Severity grading is not necessary, but if an increase in size or number of foci is correlated with chemical exposure, a grading scale should be applied that takes into account both the size and number of foci in each animal.

references:

Botts S, Jokinen M, Gaillard ET, Elwell MR, Mann PC. 1999. Salivary, Harderian, and lacrimal glands. In: Pathology of the Mouse (Maronpot RR, ed). Cache River Press, St Louis, MO, 49-80.
Abstract: http://www.cacheriverpress.com/books/pathmouse.htm

Neuenschwander SB, Elwell MR. 1990. Salivary glands. In: Pathology of the Fischer Rat (Boorman GA, Montgomery CA, MacKenzie WF, eds). Academic Press, San Diego, CA, 31-42.
Abstract: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/nlmcatalog/9002563