Effects of liquid diet intake on nerve growth in salivary glands of growing rats

Abstract

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Immunohistochemical investigation of nerve distribution in mature parotid and submandibular glands of rats with a liquid diet

“…If the body weights of animals had differed between the pellet diet group and the liquid diet group, it would have become impossible to judge whether tissue alterations were caused directly by intake of liquid diet or by deterioration of general conditions. In previous studies, liquid diet was prepared by mixing one part of a powdered form of the pellet diet with two parts of water, and no differences in rat body weight were identified between liquid-and pellet-fed groups (12,(28)(29)(30)(31)(32)(33). Therefore, this liquid diet was prepared and used in the present study.…”

“…The parotid gland weight remains low due to the inhibition of increases in acinar cell size and low proliferative activity of acinar cells (30). Furthermore, a recent study showed that a liquid diet inhibited the growth of parasympathetic nerves in the parotid gland (28). On the contrary, gland weight, acinar cell size, acinar cell proliferation (33), and parasympathetic nerve growth (28) were not affected in the submandibular glands of growing rats kept on a liquid diet.…”