Morphological study of the palatine mucosa in the type 2 diabetes mellitus model rat

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We studied morphological differences in the palatine mucosa of two kinds of rats : the spontaneous type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM) rat (n=6) and the normal Wistar rat (n=6). Image analyses, performed on light micrographs of hematoxylin-eosin stained specimens, were used to compare the thickness of the keratinized, granular, prickle and basal layers in the mucosal epithelium. Further, the cell population of the granular and prickle layers and the thickness of the connective tissue beneath the mucosal epithelium were examined. The diameter of the capillaries in the palatine mucosa was determined by image analysis of scanning electron micrographs of microvascular corrosion cast specimens. We found that the keratinized and granular layers were significantly thicker in DM than in normal rats (p<0.01 ; both layers). Moreover, the cell population of the granular layer was significantly greater in DM than in normal rats (p<0.01). In contrast, the thickness of the connective tissue beneath the mucosal epithelium, and the diameter of the capillaries were significantly smaller in the DM than in normal rats (p<0.01). Our results indicate that hyperglycemia associated with type 2 DM causes hypertrophy of the keratinized and granular layers in the mucosal epithelium, atrophy of connective tissue beneath the mucosal epithelium, and microangiopathy of the capillaries of the palatine mucosa in the DM rat.