This study was carried out to describe the anatomical, histological and mucinous histochemical characteristics of the tongue in the Persian squirrel. This species is a rodent distributed all over the Middle East and recently has been considered a companion animal. Anatomical observations showed the median sulcus on the apex and absence of a lingual prominence in the body. Light and scanning electron microscopy showed that the filiform papillae cover the entire dorsal surface of the tongue, and their sizes increased approaching the root. The fungiform papillae, which contained 1-4 taste buds, were scattered on the apex, margin, body and root of the tongue. Three vallate papillae were observed on the root, each one surrounded by a groove and crescent pad with taste buds on its lateral walls. The foliate papillae on both margins of the tongue contained several laminae with taste buds. The core of the tongue was composed of lingual glands, skeletal muscles and connective tissues. These glands were confined to the body and root, which were composed of serous cells located anteriorly and mucosal and seromucosal cells placed posteriorly. The mucin histochemistry using the periodic acid-Schiff (PAS), alcian blue (AB) (pH 1.0 and 2.5), PAS-AB (pH 2.5) and aldehyde fuchsin-AB (pH 2.5) techniques showed that the mucosal content included both carboxylated and sulfated acidic mucins with neutral mucins. The results of this study could contribute to the knowledge of the morphological characteristics of the wild animal tongue and provide data for comparison with other rodents.

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Disseminated candidiasis is a serious problem in public health that results from the invasion of Candida species, in particular Candida albicans. The aim of this study was to compare the efficacies of Zataria multiflora essential oil and itraconazole in clearing C. albicans from the visceral organs of BALB/c mice suffered from disseminated candidiasis. Zataria multiflora essential oil was extracted using Clevenger-type apparatus and analyzed by gas chromatography mass spectrometry (GC-MS). For clearance experiment, mice (20-25 g, N=8 per group) received essential oil at doses of 30, 48 and 64 mg/kg and itraconazole at dose of 200 mg/kg intraperitoneally (IP) 2 days before and after intravenous inoculation of 0.5 × 106 C. albicans blastospores. The treated animals were sacrificed on day 20, and 0.1 g of the tissue homogenates was plated onto specific media. In GC-Mass, the main components of the essential oil were carvacrol (61.29%) and thymol (25.18%). The results demonstrated that IP administration of 64 mg/kg of the essential oil had the highest efficacy in reducing C. albicans and produced 39.5, 21.8, 141.5, 174 and 501-fold reductions in mean CFUs per 0.1 gram in Candida infections of the liver, spleen, lungs, brain and kidneys, respectively, compared to positive control. Itraconazole showed significantly more responsiveness than the essential oil at dose of 30 mg/kg in clearing C. albicans from the kidneys (P<0.02), brain (P<0.02) and spleen (P<0.04), and less responsiveness than that of 64 mg/kg in clearing the organism from the brain (P<0.01), lungs (P<0.0005) and kidneys (P<0.0005), whereas no significant difference was observed between this drug and Z. multiflora at dose of 48 mg/kg. These data explain the increased rate of yeast clearance and reduced dissemination to the viscera of Z. multiflora treated mice.

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Oxaliplatin (Ox) is widely used for the treatment of various tumors. Since Ox prevents DNA replication and transcription, it may affect organs with rapid cell divisions such as the testes. Although its use during pregnancy has been reported, no information regarding its effects on the testes of the offspring is not available yet. Thirty-two mice were randomly divided into four groups. The control group (1) was administered intraperitoneally 0.2 ml of saline three times a week for the 21 days of pre-pregnancy, pregnancy and lactation. Experimental groups 2, 3 and 4 received 3 mg/kg of oxaliplatin three times a week for 21 days during pre-pregnancy, pregnancy and lactation, respectively. The left testis was removed from male offspring 30 and 60 days after birth. The volume of the testes, seminiferous tubules and interstitial tissue, the surface area and height of the seminiferous epithelium, as well as the length and diameter of seminiferous tubules, were analyzed by means of stereology. Results showed a decrease in the evaluated parameters in experimental groups, in comparison with the control group. Due to the ameliorating effect of Ox on offspring testes, cautiousness is needed during maternal administration in order to preserve the fertility of male offspring.