The parotid and sublingual glands were considered the most appropriate tissues to study the effects of diabetes mellitus among the major salivary glands. Globally, diabetes mellitus is a major healthcare concern. It affects bodily tissues and organs in a variety of pathological ways, particularly the major salivary glands. Thirty adult, healthy albino rats were divided into three equal groups of ten animals each. Group I was a control group that did not receive any treatment, group II was experimentally induced to have diabetes mellitus using alloxan, a chemical agent that is more or less safe and permanent, and group III was experimentally induced to have diabetes but treated with ascorbic acid (Vit. C), as an antioxidant drug. All rat groups were sacrificed and tissue samples from their parotid and sublingual glands were prepared. The tissue samples studded histologically using Haematoxylin and Eosin (H&E) stain, histopathologically using Periodic acid Schiff's (PAS) reaction to detect carbohydrates, and immunohistochemically using Beta cell lymphoma-2 (BCL2) as an anti-apoptotic marker. Based on the histology, histopathological, and immunohistochemical significant lesions, the obtained results showed common alterations in the parotid and sublingual glands tissues of diabetic rats. However, compared to untreated animals, rats treated with the antioxidant vitamin C showed fewer tissue changes and lesions. According to the study's findings, vitamin C functions as a helpful antioxidant to assist avoid complications from diabetes.
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