Effects of glucocorticoid on postnatal development of rat sublingual glands

Abstract

Summary: Hormones have been reported to be involved in salivary gland's growth and development, but few studies have investigated the effects of glucocorticoids on the morphology of the sublingual glands around the weaning period. The objective of this study was to ascertain the effects of glucocorticoid administration on rat sublingual glands around the weaning period. Male Wistar rats were administered triamcinolone, a glucocorticoid, once every other day from 8 days after birth (experimental group). A control group was given vehicle only. The sublingual glands were then extracted at 15, 20, 25, and 30 days after birth. Samples thus obtained were subjected to Alcian blue and periodic acid-Schiff staining, lectin staining, and immunohistochemical staining to assess cellular proliferative potential. And acinar cell circumferences were measured. We found that glucocorticoid had no effect on the production of acid or neutral mucopolysaccharides by acinar cells around the weaning period. Glucocorticoid administration resulted in hypertrophy of acinar cells between 15 and 30 days after birth. Early appearance of changes in α-mannose, α-glucosamine, and N-acetylglucosamine in secretory granules suggested that glucocorticoid may have acted to promote cell differentiation. The glucocorticoid had no effect on the proliferative potential of sublingual gland acinar cells around the weaning period.

Sialocele and Its Association with Hypercortisolism and Long-Term Glucocorticoid Treatment in Dogs: Retrospective Case–Control Study

“…Several previous studies in both humans and animals have proposed the relevant effects of GC administration on the salivary glands and the chemical characteristics of saliva. In embryonic mice, GC stimulates salivary gland morphogenesis [ 19 ], and in rats during the postnatal period, GC administration induces hypertrophy of salivary acinar cells [ 20 ]. Salivary secretion consists of two phases: primary acinar secretion and secondary modification by the duct system, which includes the transfer of electrolytes and water [ 5 ].…”

Developmental Changes in Sublingual Salivary Gland of Indian Buffalo during Prenatal and Neonatal Life

“…Various studies have been done on this gland in buffalo (Venkatakrishnan and Mariappa, 1969;Singh and Singh, 2016), rat (Taga and Sesso, 2002;Uchida et al 2013) and pangolin (Munyala et al 2008), however, there is no detailed information about the histogenesis of sublingual salivary gland of buffalo during prenatal as well as neonatal life. Therefore, the present work was undertaken with an aim to highlight the ontogenetic events in histogenesis of sublingual salivary gland of foetal and neonatal buffalo.…”