Background and Objectives: Cisplatin is a powerful antitumor chemotherapeutic agent that is widely used in the treatment of many cancers but it has many side effects on many organs including salivary glands. Bone marrow is considered to be a rich environment that comprises many types of stem cells of which BMSCs (Bone marrow stromal cells) are the most studied with potentiality to differentiate into many cell types. This study was conducted to evaluate the effect of systemic injection of BMSCs on parotid glands of rats receiving cisplatin.
Materials and Methods: Albino rats were divided into 3 groups: a normal group, a control group which received intraperitoneal injection of cisplatin and an experimental group where rats received cisplatin and then received BMSCs by intravenous route. Animals were sacrificed at periods of 3,6,10 and 15 days after cisplatin injection, and then histological studies were done.
Results: The experimental stem cell treated group showed better histological appearance when compared to the control.
Conclusion: This study proved that BMSCs can improve cisplatin induced cytotoxicity in parotid glands.
Keywords: Salivary glands, Chemotherapy, Bone marrow, Stem cells, Regeneration.