title: Immunohistochemical changes and atrophy after chronic ethanol intoxication in rat salivary glands.
abstract: Alcoholism in humans is a chronic and progressive disease, characterized by loss of ethanol consumption control. Previous studies have reported that prolonged exposure to ethanol was responsible for alterations in glandular tissues of human and rodents. However, the interrelationship between ethanol and the glandular system is still the subject of numerous investigations, including the possible resistance of the submandibular gland (SG). In the present study, we investigated whether chronic ethanol exposure during adolescence may affect the parotid gland (PG) and SG in female rats. Female rats (n=16) were treated with distilled water or ethanol (dose of 6.5 g/kg/day, 22.5% w/v) through gavage for 55 days. Glands were collected, weighed and submitted to histological processing. Morphometric analysis was assessed by parenchymal and stromal area measurements. Smooth muscle actin (α-SMA), cytokeratin-19 (CK19) and apoptotic caspase-3 (CAS) were measured using ImageJ® software. Chronic ethanol administration did not alter the body weight of rats after treatment, although it increased glandular weight (p<0.001), reduced the parenchyma area (p<0.001) and decreased CK19 and α-SMA immunostainning in the PG. Besides, ethanol induced CK19 and CAS overexpression, and the occurrence of duct-like structures in SG. These results suggest that ethanol induces histological and morphometric changes in salivary glands of female rats intoxicated with ethanol during adolescence. Furthermore, the mechanism underlying these alterations needs to be investigated but may be not related to the inflammatory process.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Functional and Structural Biology, Institute of Biological Sciences, Federal University of Pará, Campus Guamá, Belém, Pará, Brazil.
authors.forename: Luanna Melo Pereira
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: Fernandes
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Functional and Structural Biology, Institute of Biological Sciences, Federal University of Pará, Campus Guamá, Belém, Pará, Brazil.
authors.forename: Francisco Bruno
authors.initials: FB
authors.lastname: Teixeira
authors.affiliation: School of Dentistry, Federal University of Pará, Campus Guamá, Belém, Pará, Brazil.
authors.forename: Sergio Melo
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Alves-Junior
authors.affiliation: School of Dentistry, Federal University of Pará, Campus Guamá, Belém, Pará, Brazil.
authors.forename: João de Jesus Viana
authors.initials: Jde J
authors.lastname: Pinheiro
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Pharmacology of Inflammation and Behaviour, Faculty of Pharmacy, Institute of Health Science, Federal University of Pará, Campus Guamá, Belém, Pará, Brazil. crismaia@ufpa.br.
authors.forename: Cristiane Socorro Ferraz
authors.initials: CS
authors.lastname: Maia
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Functional and Structural Biology, Institute of Biological Sciences, Federal University of Pará, Campus Guamá, Belém, Pará, Brazil.
authors.forename: Rafael Rodrigues
authors.initials: RR
authors.lastname: Lima
mesh_terms: D000437:Alcoholism / Q000150:complications*; D000818:Animals; D001284:Atrophy; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D000431:Ethanol / Q000633:toxicity; D005260:Female; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D012469:Salivary Glands / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000473:pathology*
chemical_list: D000431:Ethanol