FEATURES OF STRUCTURAL RECONSTRUCTION OF ARTERIES OF THE TONGUE AT DESQUAMATIVE GLOSSITIS

Abstract

Desquamative glossitis is often found in the clinic, and its diagnosis is not easy. At glossitis the structure of the tongue is changing and the important role of arterial bed plays in it which in this pathology is not investigated enough.

The aim of the study – to learn morphometric age characteristics of structural reconstruction arteries of the tongue at desquamative glossitis.

Materials and Methods. The research was conducted on 60 sexually mature male rats, which were divided into 4 groups. The group 1 consisted of 15 intact animals at the age of 8 months, group 2 – 15 rats at the age of 24 months, and group 3 – 15 animals aged 8 months with desquamative glossitis, group 4 – 15 animals aged 24 months with desquamative glossitis. Euthanasia of animals was carried out by bloodletting in conditions of thiopental anesthesia 2 weeks after the beginning of the experiment. Histological micropreparations were made from the tongue. The morphometry of the arteries of the middle (51-128 μm) and small (26-50 μm) calibers was conducted, measuring external, internal diameters, thickness of the media and adventitia, height of endothelial cells, diameter of their nuclei, determining the Kernogan index, the relative volume of damaged endothelial cells. Quantitative indicators were processed statistically.

Results and Discussion. It was found that the arteries of the small caliber of the tongue at desquamative glossitis changed in a greater degree compared with the arteries of the middle caliber. The average diameter of the arteries of the middle caliber in the group 3 of rats decreased by 8.8 %, and in the group 4 – by 11.9 % (p <0.001), the thickness of the media increased by 7.8 % and 8.2 % (p <0.001), and the thickness of adventitia – by 25.6 % and 68.1 % (p <0.001). The Kernogan index of small caliber arteries at desquamative glossitis decreased by 21.6 % in the observations of the group 3, and in the experimental animals of the older age group by 26.7 % (p <0.001). The narrowing of the lumen of these arteries, the thickening of their walls, the pronounced reduction of the Kernogan index showed a significant decrease in the throughput of the examined vessels and deterioration of the blood supply to the organ. At desquamative glossitis, the height of the endothelial cells of the artery of the tongue of small caliber in animals of group 3 decreased by 4.6 %, and in the group 4 of rats – by 5.6 % (p <0.01). The diameter of the nuclei of the studied cells in these experimental conditions was almost unchanged, but they were violated by nuclear-cytoplasmic relations. Thus, in the group 3 of observations, the indicated morphometric parameter increased by 8.9 %, in the group 4 – by 12.6 % (p <0.05). It should be noted that changes in the nuclear-cytoplasmic relations in the endothelial cells of the arteries indicated a violation of structural cellular homeostasis. In the group 3 of observations, the relative volume of damaged endothelial cells with a significant statistically difference (p <0.001) increased by 6.6 times, and in the group 4 – by 7.36 times (p <0.001). The performed researches and the received results testify that desquamative glossitis leads to the expressed structural reconstruction of tongue arteries, which is characterized by thickening of their walls, narrowing of lumen, decrease in bandwidth, violation of cellular structural homeostasis and increase of relative volumes of damaged endothelial cells. More pronounced structural changes at desquamative glossitis were found in small caliber tongue arteries and in animals of the older age group.

Conclusions. Desquamative glossitis in laboratory white male rats is accompanied by pronounced structural rearrangement of the arteries of the tongue, characterized by thickening of their walls, narrowing of the lumen, decreased vascular capacity, cellular structural homeostasis, endothelial cell damage, endothelial dysfunction, and stroke of blood supply to the organ. More pronounced structural changes at descquamative gloslitis are detected in small caliber tongue arteries and in experimental animals of the older age group.