| Budget Amount *help |
¥2,500,000 (Direct Cost: ¥2,500,000)
Fiscal Year 2004: ¥600,000 (Direct Cost: ¥600,000)
Fiscal Year 2003: ¥600,000 (Direct Cost: ¥600,000)
Fiscal Year 2002: ¥1,300,000 (Direct Cost: ¥1,300,000)
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| Research Abstract |
This study was designed to examine age-related morphological changes in the rat sublingual and submandibular gland of 12-27 months after birth male Wistar rats. For light microscopy, the sublingual glands were fixed with 10% neutral-buffered formalin, embedded in paraffin and processed for alcian blue, congo red, potassium permanganate treatment and TUNEL staining. For transmission electron microscopy, some of the samples were fixed with Karnovsky solution ; post-fixed with 2% osmium tetroxide and embedded in epoxy resin and some these sections post-fixed in osmium tetroxide were treated by the pronase digestion technique. The results obtained demonstrate that the body weight of the sublingual gland had gradually decreased in comparison with submandibular gland during this observation period. From 24 months, amyloid positive for congo red staining was evident in the interlobular connective tissue on the periphery of the blood vessel and the excretory duct of the sublingual gland, and at 27 month, some nucleus of the mucus cells were also labeled by the TUNEL method. At 27 month, some of the granules in the serous demilunes of the sublingual gland had difficulty in digesting with pronase treatment and a profound effect on the character of the secretion with aging. These findings indicate that as the sublingual gland proper ages, its weight decreases, amyloid gradually accumulate in the gland parenchyma, and the parenchyma cells undergo apoptosis.
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