Possible Ameliorative Impact of Curcumin on Regressive Changes Induced by Diabetes on Parotid Glands of Albino Rats

Purpose: Diabetes mellitus (DM) has deleterious effect on various body organs es-pecially salivary glands. Therefore, this study was conducted to evaluate the therapeutic effect of curcumin on parotid salivary glands in diabetic rats. Material and methods: Fifty-six adult male albino rats weighting 150-200 g were selected and divided into two equal groups n= 28 rats each. Diabetes was induced in both groups I (Diabetic) & II (Diabetic & curcumin) with a single intraperitoneal injection of streptozotocin (STZ) at a dose of 55 mg/kg. After 2 weeks of diabetes confirmation; rats of group II received 200 mg\kg of curcumin orally once daily. Both groups I and II were divided into 2 subgroups (A, B, C and D respectively) 14 rats each and were sacrificed after 15 and 20 days of curcumin administration, and the parotid glands sections were stained with Hematoxylin and Eosin, Anti-iNOS, and Anti-IL-2. Then were subjected to digital image analysis followed by two-way ANOVA statistical analysis. Results: Curcumin treated group revealed improvement in parotid glands in H&E sections es-pecially at 20 days when compared to diabetic group with reduced histomorphological alterations. While, immunohistochemically, curcumin treated group showed decreased expression in the levels of both iNOS and IL-2 with significant statistical difference with diabetic group in all time periods. Post hoc LSD test showed a significant difference between time periods of diabetic group while showed no significance between curcumin group. Conclusion: Curcumin can be possible candidate for hindering the regressive changes that affect salivary glands caused by diabetes.