Histological and ultrastructural aspects of the tongue in undernourished rats

SummaryThere are few published studies on the effects of protein-caloric undernourishment on the oral mucosa.ObjectivesThe objective of this study is to verify the histological and ultrastructural aspects of the tongue mucosa in protein-caloric undernourished adult rats.Material and MethodsA clinical experimental study was done in thirty Wistar rats, 15 controls and 15 with protein-caloric undernourishment. The last group received ration in small amounts, with a reduced casein content, during 45 days. Rats were weighed every 3 days, from the first (90 days of life) to the last day of a 45-day dietary period, when they were sacrificed. Plasma was used for protein electrophoresis and their tongues were prepared for light and scanning electron microscopy. Analysus of variance and Student's t-test were used for statistical analysis.ResultsA significant decrease in weight and in plasma proteins was found in protein-caloric undernourished rats compared to the control group. Histological findings revealed no differences between the two groups and there were no statistically significant differences in the filiform papilla count under the scanning electron microscopy.ConclusionProtein-caloric undernourishment does not cause alterations in the tongue mucosa of adult rats.