Diabetes has well known damaging effects on different tissues of the body including salivary glands. Epidermal Growth Factor (EGF) facilitates healing and repair through different mechanisms including the increase in the activation and proliferation of fibroblasts. The aim of this study was to investigate if the effect of EGF was enough to repair the damage caused by diabetes in streptozotocin induced diabetic rats. Sixty adult male albino rats were divided into three groups. A control group, a streptozotocin induced diabetic group, and EGF group that was subjected to a single daily EGF intraperitoneal injection for two months after induction of diabetes. Submandibular salivary glands were dissected and examined using transmission electron microscopy. The diabetic group showed severe signs of atrophy and damage affecting all glandular components. The EGF group showed marked improvement in all elements of the submandibular salivary glands. Conclusions: EGF restored the structural integrity of submandibular salivary glands in diabetic rats.
Keywords
Diabetes, Epidermal Growth Factor, Ubmandibular Salivary Gland, Ultrastructure
User
Font Size
Information