Von Ebner's glands
Encyclopedia
Victor von Ebner
Anton Gilbert Victor von Ebner, Ritter von Rofenstein was an Austrian anatomist and histologist who was a native of Bregenz...
, who was an Austrian histologist.
These glands are located around circumvallate
Circumvallate papillae
The circumvallate papillae are dome-shaped structures on the human tongue that vary in number from eight to twelve....
and foliate papillae
Foliate papillae
Taste-buds, the end-organs of the gustatory sense, are scattered over the mucous membrane of the mouth and tongue at irregular intervals. They occur especially in the sides of the vallate papillae. There is a localized area at the side of the base of the tongue, the foliate papillae, in which they...
in the tongue, and they secrete lingual lipase
Lingual lipase
Lingual lipase is a member of a family of digestive enzymes called lipases, EC 3.1.1.3, that use the catalytic triad of Aspartate , Histidine , and Serine to hydrolyze long-chain triglycerides into partial glycerides and free fatty acids. The enzyme catalyzes the first reaction in the digestion of...
, beginning the process of lipid
Lipid
Lipids constitute a broad group of naturally occurring molecules that include fats, waxes, sterols, fat-soluble vitamins , monoglycerides, diglycerides, triglycerides, phospholipids, and others...
hydrolysis
Hydrolysis
Hydrolysis is a chemical reaction during which molecules of water are split into hydrogen cations and hydroxide anions in the process of a chemical mechanism. It is the type of reaction that is used to break down certain polymers, especially those made by condensation polymerization...
in the mouth. These glands empty their serous secretion into the base of the moats located around the foliate and circumvallate papillae. This secretion presumably flushes material from the moat to enable the taste buds to respond rapidly to changing stimuli.