2014 Volume 48 Issue 1 Pages 1-8
Morphological studies of the submandibular glands in the spontaneous type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM) model rats (Goto-Kakizaki: GK) are currently lacking. We investigated the morphological differences in the submandibular gland of two kinds of rats : spontaneous type 2 DM male rats and normal Wistar male rats (control). A total of 18 rats were used in the study : 9 GK rats in the DM group (fasting blood glucose level, 240.9 ± 58.0 mg/dL ; HbA1c level, 5.8 ± 0.3%) and 9 Wistar rats in the control group (fasting blood glucose level, 108.4 ± 39.7 mg/dL ; HbA1c level, 5.1 ± 0.3%). We investigated the cross-sectional area of the serous cells (n = 3, light microscopic specimens), the acinus diameter (n = 3, surface morphology specimens), and the diameter of the capillaries around the acinus (n = 3, microvasucular corrosion cast specimens). The surface morphology and microvasucular corrosion cast specimens were investigated using a scanning electron microscope. Image and statistical analysis revealed that the cross-sectional area of the serous cell, the acinus diameter, and the capillary diameter around the acinus were significantly smaller in DM rats than in normal rats. We think that hyperglycemia caused these observed atrophic changes in the serous cells, the acinus, and the diabetic microangiopathy of capillaries around the acinus in the GK rats.
