LYMPHOCYTE INFILTRATION IN THE PARENCHYMA OF THE PAROTID SALIVA GLAND IN DIABETIC RATES SUPPLEMENTED WITH ACETYL-L-CARNITINE

Abstract

Current analysis evaluates lymphatic infiltration in the parenchyma of the parotid saliva gland of diabetic rats supplemented with acetyl-l-carnitine (ALC). Twenty male rats were distributed into four groups, namely, normoglycemic group (C), diabetic group (D), normoglycemic supplemented with ALC group (CA) and diabetic supplemented with ALC group (DA). At the age of 105 days diabetes was induced by an endovenous administration of streptozootocin (35mg/kg). The day after, supplementation in water with ALC (200 mg/kg) started for CA and DA groups. Histological cuts of parotids were stained with hematoxylin and eosin to count lymphocytes in 150 microscope fields per group and data underwent analysis of variance and Tukey´s test (p<0.05). There was a significant increase in mean lymphatic density in parotids of the animals of groups D and CA when compared with those of groups C and DA. ALC supplementation induced lymphocyte infiltration for diabetic animals, perhaps by forecasting degenerative processes of the glandular tissue. On the other hand, the highest lymphatic infiltration in the gland of normoglycemic animals which received ALC may have resulted from excess of carnitine storage in the body tissues, reaching toxicity levels for the gland tissue.