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Updated: Aug 6, 2025
Radiation Treatment of Organotypic Cultures from Submandibular and Parotid Salivary Glands Models Key In Vivo Characteristics
Published on: May 17, 2019
The NF-κB pathway plays a vital role in rat salivary gland atrophy model
Yang Yang1,2, Yang Zi2, Du Conglin2
1Department of Oral and Maxillofacial & Head and Neck Oncology, Capital Medical University School of Stomatology, Beijing Stomatological Hosptial, Captial Medical University, Beijing, 100050, China.
Objective:
The aim of this study was to explore the histopathological and genetic changes in the submandibular glands after duct ligation and provide important clues to functional regeneration.
Design:
We established a rat salivary gland duct ligation model and observed pathological changes in the rat submandibular gland on day 1 and weeks 1, 2, 3, and 4 using hematoxylin and eosin staining, Alcian blue-periodic acid Schiff staining, Masson staining, terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase dUTP nick-end labeling (TUNEL), and immunohistochemical staining. RNA sequencing was performed on normal salivary glands and those from the ligation model after 1 week. Significantly differentially expressed genes were selected, and Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway analyses were performed.
Results:
Apoptosis levels and histological and functional KEGG pathway analyses showed that injury to the salivary gland after ligation gradually increased. The TGF-β pathway was activated and promoted fibrosis. RNA sequencing results and further verification of samples at week 1 showed that the NF-κB pathway plays a vital role in salivary gland atrophy.
Conclusions:
Our results detailed the pathological changes in the submandibular gland after ligation and the important functions of the NF-κB pathway.
