Abstract
Introduction: Oral mucositis, the common ulcerative disease of the mucous membranes of the mouth, causes the lowering QOL by the eating disorder, the sleep disturbance, and the communication disturbance by the speech disorder with a pain. This disease is characterized by solitary or multiple small, round, recurrent oral ulcers, with well-defined erythematous margin and yellowish-gray pseudomembranous center. And it is typically located on the buccal and labial mucosa and tongue. Though several animal models have been developed in the study to elucidate the pathogenesis of oral mucositis, these could not represent characteristics of the human oral mucositis appropriately. Thus, in the present study, the fundamental research for establishment of oral mucositis animal model was carried out using the rats.
Methods: Sixteen-week-old male Wistar rats were used in all experiments. Oral mucositis was induced by the following methods: under anesthesia, 100 C chrome molybdenum wrench (dia. 3 mm) was applied to the rat tongue for 3 sec without pressure. At 1, 7 hours and 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 12, 16, 21 days after the application, the oral mucositis area was taken photos and the tissue samples of its area were collected for histological analysis. And then the staining with hematoxylin and eosin was carried out. This study was approved by the Committee on Studies Involving Animals of the Nihon University School of Dentistry at Matsudo (AP15MD029).
Results and Discussion: On hours 1 and 7 and day 1 after the induction of oral mucositis, it was found the blister formation and the ulceration with epithelium separation. On days 3, 5, and 7, a significant infiltration of inflammatory cells into the dermis was found. On day 9, the regeneration of epithelium had been started, and on days 16 and 21, the repair of the epithelium and the connective tissue was revealed.
Conclusion: This study provides the new animal model of the oral mucositis. In the future research, the pathogenesis of the oral mucositis and the therapy of that might be investigated using this model.
