Abstract
Objective: A decrease in granular convoluted tubule (GCT) cells and acini occurs in the submandibular glands of castrated female rats, while in rats submitted to hormone replacement and phytotherapy with soy isoflavones, this effect is reversed. This study aimed to elucidate the mechanisms through which these changes occur. Material and Methods: Rats (n=84) were ovariectomized and 21 were sham-operated. Ovariectomized rats were randomly subdivided and orally administered the following: 17 ?-estradiol (OVX-E; n=21), 15 mg/kg/day of soy isoflavone extract (OVX-I; n=21), 17 ?-estradiol + soy isoflavone extract (OVX-A; n=21); and water as placebo (OVX; n=21). The rats were euthanized three, five and eight weeks after ovariectomy. The submandibular salivary glands were submitted to histological processing with HE stain and immunohistochemistry was performed using the streptavidin-biotin-peroxidase complex. The cell area and the expression of proliferating cell nuclear antigen and estrogen receptor ? were evaluated. Results: The results were statistically analyzed by ANOVA and Tukey test. A decrease in the area of GCT cells in the OVX, was observed, in contrast with an increase in the OVX-E. PCNA in the acinar cells and estrogen receptors were elevated in the OVX-I group. Conclusion: Castration exerts an immediate reductive effect on the volume of GCT cells. Estrogens, soy isoflavones and their combination have different mechanisms of action on the homeostasis of the gland. Estrogens cause an increase in GCT cells area, while isoflavones enhance cell proliferation and the expression of estrogen receptor-?. Their association showed no additional increase in the effect studied.KeywordsEstrogen; Morphometry; Salivary glands; Soy isoflavones.
Highlights
The perimenopause or menopause corresponds to the stage of life in which the ovaries cease their function, usually a slow and gradual process, and is responsible for a series of changes in the female organism [1]
ANOVA showed that the time of euthanasia, the experimental group and the interaction between them had significant effects (p ≤ 0.05)
proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) in cells of the granular ducts In cells of the granular ducts, ANOVA showed that the time of euthanasia and its interaction with the experimental group had significant effects (p = 0.004 and p = 0.015 respectively)
Summary
The perimenopause or menopause corresponds to the stage of life in which the ovaries cease their function, usually a slow and gradual process, and is responsible for a series of changes in the female organism [1]. The systemic aspects of menopause manifest at this stage. Oral manifestations have been reported, including changes in salivation and taste, gingivitis and recurrent bleeding [3]. Salivary glands are not classic target organs of female sex hormones, but the influence of these hormones on these glands has been studied [4,5,6,7]; knowledge concerning this interaction remains scarce. A deficiency of sex hormones, estrogen, results in changes in the oral mucosa at the tissue level, since these hormones seem to control the proliferation, differentiation and keratinization of the gingival epithelium and stimulate the proliferation of fibroblasts [9]
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