Özet:

Menopause is a physiological process of ovarian and uterine cycles related with decreasing of steroidal estrogen hormone level that decreases or terminates generally after 45 years old in women. Diabetes Mellitus (DM) is a metabolic disease that is defined high blood glucose level that goes on over a prolonged period due to insufficient insulin secretion. The goal of the study is to observe the effects of diabetes on postmenopausal rat sublingual glands that causes pathophysiological processes because salivary glands are sensitive to estrogen. Adult female 12 weeks old Sprague Dawley rats (n=24) were divided into four groups in a random manner; healthy control group, diabetes induced group, ovariectomized group (OVX), post ovariectomy diabetes induced group (DM+OVX). To evaluate the findings histopathological, histochemical and stereological analysis were achieved. In DM group degenerative serous demilune and duct cells, in OVX group increased polymorphonuclear leukocyte (PMNL) infiltration and in DM+OVX group extensive and increased PMNL infiltration, degenerative serous demilunes and increase in the serous demilune thickness were distinguished. Alterations in the content and amount of neutral mucopolysaccharidosis secretion of serous demilunes in DM or DM+OVX groups and acidic mucopolysaccharidosis secretion of mucous acinus in DM and/or OVX groups were detected. In addition, stereological analysis revealed that hypertrophic changes in DM groups and atrophic changes in OVX groups were occurred in the mucous acinus epithelium. The results suggest that diabetes and/or ovariectomy triggered pathophysiological processes that caused morphological and functional changes at the cellular level in sublingual glands. Molecular mechanism and relation to glucose and lipid metabolisms of pathophysiological processes in the sublingual gland in DM and OVX groups require further investigation.

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