IADR Abstract Archives
Effect of Escitalopram on the Salivary Gland of Pregnant Mice
Objectives: Escitalopram Oxalate (ESC) is an antidepressant that acts in Central Nervous System as a serotonin reuptake inhibitor. This class of drugs may be related to salivary changes, xerostomia and inhibition of salivary gland function. Clinical data on the use of ESC during pregnancy are limited. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of ESC in the salivary glands of pregnant mice.
Methods: Twenty Swiss adult pregnant mice (Mus musculus) were divided in two experimental groups. Treated group received 20 mg/kg of ESC and control group received sterile saline, both via gavage. The salivary glands were identified, collected and fixed in Bouin solution, and then processed for histological procedures. For each of the three types of gland, parotid, submandibular and sublingual, the parameters analyzed were: thickness of the wall of the acini, acinar diameters and acinar areas. Data were analyzed by Student’s T test and Mann-Whitney test, for parametric and non-parametric data, respectively and level of significance was set at 5% (GraphPad Prism 5).
Results: In treated group, sublingual acinar areas (P=0.003) and acinar diameters (P=0.008) were bigger than those from control group. Submandibular acinar areas (P=0.006) and acinar diameters (P=0.025) were also bigger than in control group. Thickness of sublingual and submandibular secretory wall of acini, and parameters from parotid gland did not present significant alterations.
Conclusions: It can be concluded that the inhibitory action of serotonin reuptake produced by ESC promotes adverse effect, decreasing the salivary secretion. This decrease makes myoepithelial cells in the acinus proliferate to compensate for the lack of saliva, providing significant morphological changes in the diameters of acinar areas. The submandibular and sublingual glands are more susceptible to this drug. These changes may explain the mechanism of action of xerostomia, hyposalivation, and salivary changes in patients taking this drug.
Methods: Twenty Swiss adult pregnant mice (Mus musculus) were divided in two experimental groups. Treated group received 20 mg/kg of ESC and control group received sterile saline, both via gavage. The salivary glands were identified, collected and fixed in Bouin solution, and then processed for histological procedures. For each of the three types of gland, parotid, submandibular and sublingual, the parameters analyzed were: thickness of the wall of the acini, acinar diameters and acinar areas. Data were analyzed by Student’s T test and Mann-Whitney test, for parametric and non-parametric data, respectively and level of significance was set at 5% (GraphPad Prism 5).
Results: In treated group, sublingual acinar areas (P=0.003) and acinar diameters (P=0.008) were bigger than those from control group. Submandibular acinar areas (P=0.006) and acinar diameters (P=0.025) were also bigger than in control group. Thickness of sublingual and submandibular secretory wall of acini, and parameters from parotid gland did not present significant alterations.
Conclusions: It can be concluded that the inhibitory action of serotonin reuptake produced by ESC promotes adverse effect, decreasing the salivary secretion. This decrease makes myoepithelial cells in the acinus proliferate to compensate for the lack of saliva, providing significant morphological changes in the diameters of acinar areas. The submandibular and sublingual glands are more susceptible to this drug. These changes may explain the mechanism of action of xerostomia, hyposalivation, and salivary changes in patients taking this drug.