Olfactory glands
Olfactory glands, also known as Bowman's glands, are a type of nasal gland situated in the olfactory mucosa, beneath the olfactory epithelium, in the lamina propria, a connective tissue also containing fibroblasts, blood vessels and bundles of fine axons from the olfactory neurons.
An olfactory gland consists of an acinus in the lamina propria and a secretory duct going out through the olfactory epithelium.
Electron microscopy studies show that olfactory glands contain cells with large secretory vesicles. Olfactory glands secrete the gel-forming mucin protein MUC5AC. They might secrete proteins such as lysozyme, amylase and IgA, similarly to serous glands. The exact composition of the secretions from olfactory glands is unclear, but there is evidence that they produce odorant-binding protein.
