2010 Volume 53 Issue 1 Pages 15-24
Diabetes is a disease that develops due to an abnormal metabolism and is characterized by various complications, such as retinopathy, kidney disease, and neurological impairment, due to pathologically high concentrations of glucose in the blood. There have been many reports so far on the oral changes due to diabetes, such as the onset or exacerbation of dry mouth and periodontal disease caused by a decrease in the volume of saliva secretion. When treating patients with diabetes, it is believed that delayed wound healing occurs in conjunction with a weakening of the patient's resistance to the invasion associated with the treatment due to microvascular disease, acidosis, and abnormal glucose and/or protein metabolism. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to histologically and biochemically examine the effects of diabetes on peripheral vasculature in gingival tissue by determining immunohistochemically the distribution of substance P receptors (NK1R) in rat palatal gingiva and vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP) receptor 1 (VIPR1), as well as the amount of protein produced in the gingiva. We found that the staining of NK1R and VIPR1 in the gingiva of type 2 diabetes rats was strong around the capillaries. We also observed both receptors in localized areas in connective tissue that was confirmed to have subepithelial inflammatory cells. Finally, VIPR1 was decreased significantly in diabetes.
