Unrevealing of the Effect of Olfactory Bulb Lesion on Histomorphological Changes in Sublingual Glands: An Experimental Study

Abstract

This study was performed to examine basic neuropathological mechanisms of undeterminedeffects of olfactory bulb lesion in sublingual glands. Twenty-six adult rats were randomizedin three groups as control group (Group I, n=8), Sham group (Group II, n=7) and olfactorybulb lesion (OBL) group (Group III, n=11), and they all observed for the duration of eightweeks and finally euthanized. The olfactory bulbs of rat brains and sublingual glands (SLG),were extracted bilaterally. Samplings stained with hematoxylin/eosin and TUNEL stains toassess the stereogical olfactory bulbs volume loss degrees, and follicular volume values(FVV) of SLG per cubic centimeters. The estimated mean volumes of olfactory bulbs wereas 4.87±0.33/mm3 in group I, 4.32±0.43/mm3 in group II, and 2.12±0.19/mm3 in group III(p<0.0001 and p<0.0005; in Group III vs. I, Group III vs. II, respectively). The mean volumesof FVV and degenerated neuron density of SLG were 215±56×106µm3/cm3 and 13±3/mm3in Group I, 193 ± 44×106µm3/cm3 and 62±11/mm3 in Group II (p<0.005), 134±27×106µm3/cm3 and 346±83/mm3 in Group III (p<0.0001 and p<0.0005; in Group III vs. I, GroupIII vs. II, respectively). This study suggests that OBL may be responsible for sublingual glanddegeneration, which has not been stated so far.