Background. Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a chronic serious health problem which characterized by elevated blood glucose levels. Exogenous insulin administration is needed for type I DM management. Bone marrow-mesenchymal stem cells (BM-MSCs) provide cell based approach for DM treatment.
Objectives. to explore the effectiveness of BM-MSCs versus insulin on circumvallate and foliate papillae of diabetic rats.
Materials and methods. The study was carried out on 56 male albino rats that were divided into 4 groups: Control group (Gp 1): rats received no drug. Diabetic group (Gp 2): rats received a single intra-peritoneal injection of Streptozotocin (STZ) (40mg/kg). BM-MSCs treated diabetic group (Gp 3): After diabetes confirmation; rats were given a single intravenous injection of PKH26 labeled BM-MSCs (million units) through tail vein. Insulin treated diabetic group (Gp 4): After diabetes confirmation; rats received subcutaneous injection of insulin (5IU/kg/day). After 4 weeks, half of the tongue specimens were processed and stained by Hematoxyline & Eosin, then examined by light microscope. While the other half were examined by scanning electron microscope.
Results. Circumvallate and foliate papillae of Gp 2 showed significant histological and morphological alterations. While in Gp 3 and 4, the papillae showed noticeable improvements, being more obvious in insulin treated one. Moreover, in Gp 3 and 4, there was a significant increase in body weight in comparison to Gp 2.
Conclusions. BM-MSCs administration could help in reducing the damaging effects of DM on circumvallate and foliate papillae. Insulin therapy caused more efficient improvements in diabetic rats than BM-MSCs.