Abstract
Secondary disorders in consequences to diabetes involves the development of several diseases in the oral cavity, as periodontitis, xerostomy, infection by diverse pathogens and dysfunctions on the salivary secretion. These alterations occur partially, in consequence of the oxidative stress occasioned by hyperglycemia, and are important in patients undiagnosed or that have flaws in their therapeutic process. The aim of this work was to evaluate biochemical alterations of submandibular glands in response to oxidative stress during diabetes mellitus, and verify the effects of N-acetylcystein supplementation to diabetic rats, specially on the regulation of modifications related to glutathione and thiol proteins. For this purpose, the levels of some oxidative stress markers and the occurrence of the post-translational event of S-glutathionylation were evaluated. The a-amilase degranulation by isolated acinar cells and glandular relative weight was also measured for each experimental group. The compound was able to decrease the lipoperoxidation and proteic oxidation observed in the submandibular gland of diabetic rats, preventing the decrease of the tecidual reducing power and increasing the occurrence of the post-translational process of S-glutathionylation. The diabetic condition increases the degranulation of a-amilase and the glandular weight, but the supplementation with N-acetylcystein did not affect these events. Together these findings may help to elucidate the status of oxidative stress on salivary glands and suggest new therapeutic strategies employing antioxidants of low molecular weight to prevent oral and systemic dysfunctions related to diabetes.
Highlights
There are several secondary disorders classically described as a diabetes mellitus consequence (Rahman et al, 2007; Heydary et al, 2010)
Nephropathies, neuropathies and retinopathies are the principal focus of the technical literature and academic studies, the diseases in the oral cavity have to be seen as an important aspect related to the needs in health care of a patient with diabetes mellitus
Is spite of the multifatorial mechanisms involved on the pathogenesis of oral diseases during diabetes, it has been described that the increased oxidative stress on salivary glands is, in part, responsible by the deficient salivary secretion and is related to the development of xerostomy, establishing conditions that that may increase the susceptibility to other oral pathologies, mainly periodontitis and infections (Anderson et al, 1994; Sandberg et al, 2000; Reznick et al, 2006; Soell et al, 2007; Yuen et al, 2009)
Summary
There are several secondary disorders classically described as a diabetes mellitus consequence (Rahman et al, 2007; Heydary et al, 2010). The comprehension of the biochemical alterations in response to oxidative stress occurred on salivary glands during diabetes mellitus and the search for substances that are able to control these modifications are crucial for planning new palliative and preventive therapeutic strategies that may promote an increase in the quality of life for patients with this metabolic disorder. Thiol compounds related-pathways, mainly those containing glutathione and thiol proteins, may be strongly affected during diabetes mellitus oxidative stress, showing a depletion of the glutathione reduced/oxidized (GSH/GSSG) redox-buffer, an increase on S-glutathionylaion post-translational event levels. These alterations were not previous described on salivary glands and are an important data for the development of the strategies previous discussed
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