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Effects of lead exposure on salivary glands of rats: insights into the oxidative biochemistry and glandular morphology

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Abstract

This study aimed to investigate the effects of lead (Pb) exposure on parotid and submandibular glands through morphological aspects as well as the systemic and salivary gland redox state. Male Wistar rats were exposed to 50 mg/kg/day of Pb-acetate or distilled water by intragastric gavage for 55 days (n = 40). Blood samples were used for lipid peroxidation (LPO), glutathione (GSH), and trolox equivalent antioxidant capacity (TEAC) assays. Samples of salivary glands were analyzed by LPO, nitrites (NO), and antioxidant capacity against peroxyl radicals (ACAP) levels. Morphometric analyses (total stromal area [TSA], total parenchyma area [TPA], total ductal area [TDA], and total acinar area [TAA]) and immunohistochemistry for cytokeratin-19 (CK-19), metallothionein I/II (MT I/II), and anti-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA) were performed. The results revealed that exposure to Pb triggered systemic oxidative stress represented by lower GSH levels and increased TBARS/TEAC ratio in blood plasma. ACAP was reduced, while NO and LPO were increased in both parotid and submandibular. The morphological analyses showed increase on MT I/II expression, reduced CK-19 expression in both glands, and α-SMA reduced the immunostaining only in the parotid glands. The morphometric analyses revealed an increase in TPA in both glands, while TAA was reduced only in submandibular glands and TDA was increased only in parotid glands. Our findings are pioneer in showing that long-term exposure to Pb is able to promote blood and glandular oxidative stress associated with cellular, morphological, and biochemical damage in both parotid and submandibular glands.

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Acknowledgments

We thank the Amazônia Foundation for Support to Studies and Research (FAPESPA) and National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq).

Funding

This study was financed in part by the Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior – Brasil (CAPES) – Finance Code 001.

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Conceptualization: Rafael Rodrigues Lima and Géssica de Oliveira Lopes; methodology: Rafael Rodrigues Lima, Géssica de Oliveira Lopes, Walessa Alana Bragança Aragão, Luana Leão, João de Jesus Viana Pinheiro, Sergio Melo Alves-Junior, Maria Elena Crespo-Lopez; formal analysis and investigation: Géssica de Oliveira Lopes, Luana Leão, João de Jesus Viana Pinheiro, Priscila Cunha Nascimento, Leonardo Oliveira Bittencourt; writing—original draft preparation: Géssica de Oliveira Lopes and Walessa Alana Bragança Aragão; writing—review and editing: Rafael Rodrigues Lima, João de Jesus Viana Pinheiro, Maria Elena Crespo-Lopez; funding acquisition: Rafael Rodrigues Lima; resources: Rafael Rodrigues Lima; supervision: Rafael Rodrigues Lima.

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Correspondence to Rafael Rodrigues Lima.

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All procedures were previously approved by the Ethics committee on animal experimentation by Federal University of Para (2237110716 - CEPAE-UFPA) following the guidelines suggested by NIH Guide to Care and Use of Laboratory Animals.

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Lopes, G.d., Aragão, W.A.B., Nascimento, P.C. et al. Effects of lead exposure on salivary glands of rats: insights into the oxidative biochemistry and glandular morphology. Environ Sci Pollut Res 28, 10918–10930 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-020-11270-5

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