Impact of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells on lingual mucosa in albino rats with induced diabetes (histological and immunohistochemical study).

Objective: The purpose of the current study is the evaluation of the curative potentiality of systemically administrated bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) on lingual mucosa after diabetes induction in rats. Subject and methods: For this investigation, thirty adult male albino rats were employed, divided evenly into three groups with ten rats each. These groups were; Control group (GI), Diabetic group (GII) in which the diabetes was induced via streptozotocin (STZ) intra-peritoneal single injection, and diabetic with stem cells treated group (GIII) which received a single injection of (1×106) bone marrow mesenchymal cells (BMMCs) per rat intravenously. After 4 weeks from BMSCs injection, the specimens were collected, fixed, prepared and evaluated histologically by routine H&E stain as well as immunohistochemical investigation for detection of proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA). Results: the diabetic group (GII) showed many degenerative changes with accumulation of perinuclear vacuoles and separation of keratin layer that appeared torn out. The immunohistochemical investigation revealed weak to negative reaction to PCNA antibodies. In experimental groups treated with stem cells the tongue showed better histological features than the diabetic group with increased immunoreaction to PCNA antibodies comparable to the untreated diabetic group. Conclusion: Diabetes mellitus (DM) had many degenerative effects on the lingual mucosa with significant reduction in cellular proliferation and turn over. On the other hand, the application of stem cells minimized the harmful complications of diabetes on the tongue and enhanced the cellular proliferation.