Abstract

PALOMARI, Evanisi Teresa; CARVALHO, Cesar Alexandre Fabrega  and  CUNHA, Marcelo Rodrigues da. Ultra-structural alterations of the palatal mucosa in rats subject to a diet of alcohol. RGO, Rev. gaúch. odontol. (Online) [online]. 2013, vol.61, n.1, pp. 93-98. ISSN 1981-8637.

Objective To evaluate the possible morphological alterations of the palatal mucosa in rats subject to a diet of alcohol. Methods Twelve adult male animals were used, divided into two groups: control and treated. The control group received food and water ad libitum, while the treated group received the same solid diet and a solution of water and ethanol diluted to 25%. After 160 days, the animals were sacrificed and the samples of palatal mucosa were submitted to methods of transmission electronic microscopy. Results In the macroscopic results, a coloring alteration was seen in the palatal mucosa in the alcoholic group. In addition, the control animals presented a greater gain in body mass in relation to the treated animals (p<0.05). However, the treated animals did not lose weight during the experiment; on the contrary, they gained body mass, despite gaining less when compared to the control. In the ultra-structure of the treated group, an increase in inter-cellular space, fusion of the secretory granules and the presence of cells in a degenerative state were observed. Conclusion It may be deduced that there were serious morphological alterations in the palatal mucosa of rats subject to an alcoholic diet.

Keywords : Alcoholism; Anatomy & histology; Mouth mucosa.