Case Report Dental, Oral and Craniofacial Research Dent Oral Craniofac Res, 2016 doi: 10.15761/DOCR.1000164 Volume 2(3): 287-291 ISSN: 2058-5314 Action of lithium carbonate on parotid acini Flávia Fusco Veiga 1 , Aline Cristina Batista Rodrigues Johann 2 , Viviane da Silva Kagy 1 , Luciana Trevisan Bittencourt Muniz 1 , Luciana Azevedo Reis Alanis 2 , Edvaldo Antonio Ribeiro Rosa 2 , Sergio Aparecido Ignacio 2 , Antonio Adilson Soares de Lima 3 , Sawsan Abuhamadah 4 , Yusuf S. Althobaiti 5 , Youssef Sari 6 , Ana Paula Camargo Martins 8 , Marina Viola Azevedo 8 and Grégio AMT 7 * 1 Post-Graduation Student, School of Dentistry, Pontifical Catholic University of Paraná, Curitiba, Brazil 2 Full Professor School of Dentistry, Pontifical Catholic University of Paraná, Curitiba, Brazil 3 Associate Professor, School of Dentistry, Federal University of Paraná, Curitiba, Brazil 4 Associate Professor, School of Pharmacy, The University of Jordan, Amman, Jordan and Fulbright, Visiting Professor and Researcher of Department of Pharmacology, College of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical, The University of Toledo, Toledo, OH, United States 5 PhD Graduate Student in Experimental Therapeutics University of Toledo, College of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Department of Pharmacology, Toledo, OH, United States 6 Associate Professor Senior, Department of Pharmacology, College of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, The University of Toledo, Toledo, OH, United States 7 Full Professor, School of Dentistry, Pontifical Catholic University of Paraná, Curitiba, Brazil 8 Technician support, School of Medicine, Pontifical Catholic University of Paraná, Curitiba, Brazil Abstract Objective: Te aim of this study is to quantify the number (N) and to measure the volume (V) of acinar cells of parotid gland. Te size and the mass of parotid glands were also assessed in rats subjected to chronic lithium carbonate treatment, mimicking the treatment paradigm of bipolar disorder. Design: Twenty-fve male Wistar rats received intra-peritoneal injections of either saline (n=11) or lithium carbonate (60 mg/kg body weight) for 51 days. Te parotid glands of each animal were removed, weighed, measured and processed, and the histological sections stained with hematoxylinand eosin, from which the N and V were quantifed. Statistical analysis was performed using Student’s t test. Results: It was found that with the use of lithium, there was a statistically signifcant increase in the gland size (1.00 ± 0.20 cm) and mass (150.71 ± 73.95 mg) when compared to the control (0 80 cm ± 0.17 and 108.93 ± 17.00 mg, respectively) (p<0.05). Te number of acinar cells and acinar volume was not statistically diferent when compared control and lithium. Conclusion: Lithium carbonate may not modify the cell number and volume, indicating that lithium carbonate does not cause changes in morphometric glandular parenchyma. Moreover, the increase inglandular size and mass might suggest that stroma is swollen and this could result in hyposalivation. Correspondence to: Dr. Ana Maria Trindade Grégio, Department of Pharmacology, School of Dentistry, Pontifcal Catholic University of Parana, Imaculada Conceição, 1155, Prado Velho, 80-215-901, Curitiba, Paraná, Brazil, Tel: +55 41 3271-2537; Fax: +55 41 3271-1405 E-mail: ana.gregio@pucpr.br Key words: lithium, salivary gland, hyposalivation, morphometry, parotid gland, glandular parenchyma Received: May 06, 2016; Accepted: June 20, 2016; Published: June 25, 2016 Highlights • Lithium carbonate is a mood stabilizer which can cause hyposalivation. • Te hyposalivation impairs the quality of life of patients. • We investigated morphological changes in the parotid subjected tolithium carbonate. • Lithium does not change the number and acinar cell volume. • Lithium increases the size and weight of the parotid gland. Introduction Te information and technological advances haveprovided better quality of life and longevity. On the other hand, there is a signifcant increase in the number of individuals afected by disorders that have been little studied. Among these are the afective disorders, which are characterized by mood changes with depression, bipolar disorders and thought disorders [1]. Lithium carbonate has been the frst drug approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the treatment of bipolar mood disorders [2] and has been used for more than 60 years for the treatment of the acute phases and maintenance of bipolar disorders [3,4]. It acts in both depression and mania, as well as it reduces the risk of suicide and short-term mortality [5]. It has been shown that lithium has mood stabilizing activity and neuro-protective properties which prevent apoptosis of neurons [6]. Although lithium is widely used and is efective for the treatment of mood disorders, it also triggers some clinical disadvantages such as polydipsia, unpleasant taste, tremor, and teratogenicity. Its narrow therapeutic index requires routine monitoring of serum hormone concentrations and renal function [5]. For being a fairly prescribed