Effect of cevimeline and different concentration of gum arabic on parotid salivary gland function in methotrexate-induced xerostomia: a comparative study.

OBJECTIVE: This study assessed the effect of cevimeline and different concentrations of gum arabic on the parotid gland of rats being given xerostomia-inducing methotrexate. METHODS: One hundred twenty-five rats were divided into five equal groups of twenty-five each. The rats in Group I received basic diets, while those in Groups II, III, IV, and V received 20 mg/kg MTX as a single intraperitoneal dose on day one. Group III received 10 mg/kg CVM dissolved in saline orally and daily, and the other two groups received a 10% W/V aqueous suspension of GA. Therefore, Group IV received 2 ml/kg suspension orally and daily, while Group V received 3 ml/kg suspension orally and daily. After 9 days, the parotid glands were dissected carefully and prepared for hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) staining as a routine histological stain and caspase-3 and Ki67 immunohistochemical staining. Quantitative data from α-Caspase-3 staining and Ki67 staining were statistically analysed using one-way ANOVA followed by Tukey's multiple comparisons post hoc test. RESULTS: Regarding caspase-3 and Ki67 immunohistochemical staining, one-way ANOVA revealed a significant difference among the five groups. For Caspase-3, the highest mean value was for group II (54.21 ± 6.90), and the lowest mean value was for group I (15.75 ± 3.67). The other three groups had mean values of 31.09 ± 5.90, 30.76 ± 5.82, and 20.65 ± 3.47 for groups III, IV, and V, respectively. For Ki67, the highest mean value was for group I (61.70 ± 6.58), and the lowest value was for group II (18.14a ± 5.16). The other three groups had mean values of 34.4 ± 9.27, 48.03 ± 8.40, and 50.63 ± 8.27 for groups III, IV, and V, respectively. CONCLUSION: GA, rather than the normally used drug CVM, had a desirable effect on the salivary glands of patients with xerostomia.

The effects of ketogenic and chitosan-based diets on submandibular salivary gland in rat model: a comparative histological study.

OBJECTIVE: This study was carried out in the submandibular salivary glands (SSGs) of rats to demonstrate the effect of a ketogenic diet (KD) in comparison with dietary chitosan supplementation. METHOD: Eighteen albino rats were randomly divided into three equal groups of six animals each. Rats in Group I were fed a balanced diet and considered controls. Meanwhile, those of Groups II and III were fed a KD, a balanced diet with high molecular weight chitosan, respectively. After 45 days, rats were euthanized, and the SSGs were dissected carefully for staining with hematoxylin and eosin (H&E), alpha-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA) immunohistochemical staining, and Congo red special stain. Quantitative data from α-SMA staining and Congo red staining were statistically analyzed using one-way ANOVA followed by Tukey's multiple comparisons post hoc test. RESULTS: Regarding Congo red and α-SMA staining, one-way ANOVA revealed a significant difference between the three groups. For α-SMA staining and Congo red staining, Group II had the highest mean values of 91.41 ± 3.30 and 68.10 ± 5.04, respectively, while Group I had the lowest values of 56.13 ± 3.96 and 16.87 ± 2.19, respectively. Group III had mean values of 60.70 ± 3.55 for α-SMA and 19.50 ± 1.78 for Congo red. Tukey's multiple comparisons post hoc test revealed significant differences between groups I & II and between groups II & III (P < 0.05). Meanwhile, there was a nonsignificant difference between groups I and III (P > 0.05). CONCLUSION: A KD has a deleterious effect on rats' SSG whatever the test we used, and dietary chitosan supplementation ameliorates these damaging effects.