title: Diabetes affects statherin expression in human labial glands.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Salivary statherin, which plays a special role in the defense of tooth integrity, is secreted by both major and minor salivary glands. A significantly reduced expression of this was recently found in human major salivary glands removed from diabetic subjects and was correlated with the high incidence of dental diseases occurring in patients with diabetes. In this study, we measured the density of gold particles indicating statherin immunoreactivity in labial glands to reveal a significant difference between diabetic and non-diabetic patients.
  
  
  METHODS
  Surgical samples of labial glands obtained from both diabetic and non-diabetic patients were fixed with a glutaraldehyde and paraformaldehyde mixture, embedded in Epon, and treated for immunogold histochemistry using a polyclonal antibody specific for statherin.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Statherin immunoreactivity was detected onto small vesicles diffused throughout the cytoplasm of serous cells. Statistical analysis revealed that the number of stained particles was significantly lower in the samples from diabetic subjects than from non-diabetic subjects.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The results indicate that diabetes affects statherin secretion in labial glands and support the hypothesis that the increased susceptibility to oral diseases associated with diabetes could be related with a reduced statherin secretion.
authors: Department of Cytomorphology, University of Cagliari, Italy. misola@unica.it
authors: M
authors: M
authors: Isola
authors: Ms
authors: M
authors: Lantini
authors: P
authors: P
authors: Solinas
authors: M
authors: M
authors: Diana
authors: R
authors: R
authors: Isola
authors: F
authors: F
authors: Loy
authors: M
authors: M
authors: Cossu
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D003924:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 / Q000473:pathology*; D004853:Epoxy Resins; D005260:Female; D006056:Golgi Apparatus / Q000648:ultrastructure; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008046:Lip / Q000473:pathology*; D008297:Male; D046529:Microscopy, Electron, Transmission; D008875:Middle Aged; D016613:Plastic Embedding; D012470:Salivary Glands, Minor / Q000473:pathology*; D012471:Salivary Proteins and Peptides / Q000032:analysis*; D022142:Secretory Vesicles / Q000648:ultrastructure; D012704:Serous Membrane / Q000473:pathology
chemical_list: D004853:Epoxy Resins; C018149:STATH protein, human; D012471:Salivary Proteins and Peptides; C004875:EPON