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The effects of isoproterenol and pilocarpine on the tissular water of mouse parotid and sublingual glands were studied by thermogravimetry (TG) coupled with Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). Results demonstrated that the short-term effects partly resemble the long-term action of these substances on the above-mentioned organs. Due to the different stages examined, it is difficult to speculate on the comparison between previous and the present findings. The original data resulting from the present research corresponded to the dimorphism expressed in the thermoanalytical profile of the parotid glands treated with secretagogues.

The short-term effects of two different secretagogues on the water contained in the mouse submandibular gland were studied using the thermal analysis as investigation method. Isoproterenol induced a retention while pilocarpine promoted a release of weakly and strongly bound water. In addition, submandibular glands of subjects administered with isoproterenol were characterized by a thermal behaviour different in males and females above all as concerns the time of reaction to the secretagogue; the reaction delay observed in females was correlated with the effects of this pharmacological substance on the convoluted granular tubules that are responsible for the sexual dimorphism in mice.