Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2015;7(Suppl 2):1-5.

Proliferative Activity of Myoepithelial Cells in Irradiated Rabbit Parotid and Submandibular Salivary Glands

Omar Kujan  1 , Rania Othman  2 , Mohammed Alshehri  3 , Fareed Iqbal  4 , Nabil Kochaji  5
Affiliations

Proliferative Activity of Myoepithelial Cells in Irradiated Rabbit Parotid and Submandibular Salivary Glands

Omar Kujan et al. J Int Oral Health. 2015.

Abstract

Background: The behavior of salivary myoepithelial cells (MEC) during chronic irradiation exposure is unknown. This study aimed to investigate the response of MEC to prolonged radiation exposure.

Materials and methods: 16 rabbits and four controls were irradiated with either 10 Gy, 20 Gy, 30 Gy or 40 Gy (Gray units) of direct axial beam radiation. Parotid and submandibular glands were removed and examined using immunohistochemical double staining. Proliferating MEC were semi-quantified using alpha smooth muscle actin antibodies and proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) antibodies.

Results: MEC proliferative activity increased after radiation in both submandibular (P = 0.037) and parotid groups (P = 0.006) compared to controls. Hyper-proliferation was seen only in parotid glands which was almost dose-dependent. Mean percentage MEC proliferation did not correlate with the clinical grading or recovery from oral mucositis (P = 0.47).

Conclusions: Parotid glands are more sensitive to radiation compared to submandibular glands. Further research is needed to determine the role of MEC proliferative activity in response to radiation.

Keywords: Experimental; mucositis; myoepithelial cells; proliferating cell nuclear antigen; salivary.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Conflicts of Interest: None

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
The rabbits in set-up position using the ALCYON II telecobalt therapy device.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Haematoxylin and eosin sections of control (normal parotid gland) (a) and irradiated submandibular (b) and parotid 40 Gy (c) glands (40 Gy), (×200).
Graph 1
Graph 1
Mean percentage of proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) positive myoepithelial cells (MECs) in normal and irradiated salivary glands. MEC proliferative activity calculated as PCNA +ve cells/alpha smooth muscle actin antibodies +ve cells.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Double immunohistochemistry for proliferating cell nuclear antigen (brown) and actin (red) in the irradiated parotid gland (40 Gy) (×400).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

References

    1. Siegel R, Naishadham D, Jemal A. Cancer statistics, 2012. CA Cancer J Clin. 2012;62(1):10–29. - PubMed
    1. Jemal A, Bray F, Center MM, Ferlay J, Ward E, Forman D. Global cancer statistics. CA Cancer J Clin. 2011;61(2):69–90. - PubMed
    1. Warnakulasuriya S. Global epidemiology of oral and oropharyngeal cancer. Oral Oncol. 2009;45(4-5):309–16. - PubMed
    1. Silva P, Homer JJ, Slevin NJ, Musgrove BT, Sloan P, Price P, et al. Clinical and biological factors affecting response to radiotherapy in patients with head and neck cancer: A review. Clin Otolaryngol. 2007;32(5):337–45. - PubMed
    1. Dirix P, Nuyts S, Van den Bogaert W. Radiation-induced xerostomia in patients with head and neck cancer: A literature review. Cancer. 2006;107(11):2525–34. - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources