Introduction: Menopause is a physiological stage in the life of women. In the postmenopausal period, the oral cavity is susceptible to the endocrine disturbance caused by deficiency of oestrogen.
Aim of Study: This research aimed to investigate the wheat germ oil (WGO) putative effect on tongue mucosa in experimental postmenopausal hypoestrogenic rat model.
Materials and Methods: 40 virgin female rats, 6-month-old, were randomly classified into 4 equal groups; Group I (Sham group): Rats underwent sham operation of ovariectomy (OVX) and served as control for the experimental groups. Group II (OVX group): Rats underwent bilateral OVX operation. Group III (Sham + WGO group): Rats underwent sham operation similar to group I and received a daily oral dose of WGO for four weeks. Group IV (OVX + WGO group): Rats underwent bilateral OVX operation similar to group II and received a daily dose of WGO orally for 4 weeks similar to group III. At the end of experimental period, rats were euthanized and the tongue samples were processed for histological, immunohistochemical staining for PCNA and scanning electron microscopic study.
Results: Tongue mucosa of OVX group showed abnormal architecture with irregular arrangement of abnormally shaped papillae when compared with the tongue mucosa of sham and sham/WGO groups. Interestingly, OVX group treated with WGO exhibited enhancement in mucosa of the tongue with almost normal architecture. Immunohistochemical study revealed a significant decrease in PCNA expression in OVX group in comparison with those of other groups. However, OVX + WGO group simulated shame group in PCNA expression and displayed a significant increase in comparison with those of OVX group.
Conclusion: Estrogen deficiency caused deleterious effects on rats' tongue mucosa. However, WGO was able to abolish those effects. Hence, WGO is recommended as a prospective treatment for postmenopausal mucosal changes.