The Beneficial Impact of the Black Chokeberry Extract against the Oxidative Stress in the Sublingual Salivary Gland of Rats Intoxicated with Cadmium.

Cadmium (Cd) is one of the most harmful xenobiotics to which humans are exposed, mainly by the oral route, throughout life. Preventive strategies are searched as low intoxication with this element, among others due to its prooxidative properties, can be deleterious to health and the exposure to it is continuously increasing. Recently, interest has been paid to plant raw materials with a high antioxidative potential to oppose the prooxidative properties of cadmium, such as black chokeberry (Aronia melanocarpa L. fruit), which is rich in polyphenolic compounds. The study was aimed at assessing whether the chokeberry extract may counteract the prooxidative impact of low-level and moderate repeated intoxication with cadmium on the sublingual salivary gland. The investigation was performed on 96 Wistar rats (females), which were treated with a 0.1% aqueous extract from chokeberries or/and a diet containing 1 or 5 mg Cd/kg for 3 and 10 months, and control animals. The intoxication with cadmium, in a dose- and time-dependent manner, attenuated the enzymatic and nonenzymatic antioxidative potential and increased the concentration of hydrogen peroxide and total oxidative status of the sublingual salivary gland resulting in an occurrence of oxidative stress, enhancement of lipid peroxidation, and oxidative injuries of proteins in this salivary gland. The treatment with the black chokeberry extract during the intoxication with cadmium prevented this xenobiotic-caused oxidative/reductive imbalance and oxidative modifications of proteins and lipids in the salivary gland. The above results allow the conclusion that the consumption of black chokeberry products during intoxication with cadmium can prevent oxidative stress and its consequences in the sublingual salivary gland and thus counteract the unfavourable impact of this xenobiotic on the oral cavity.

Effect of selected metals on bone tissue of the masticatory apparatus / Efectos de metales en el tejido óseo del aparato masticatorio

The masticatory apparatus is a functional unit of the human body, which is mainly responsible for speech, chewing, and swallowing. It is built of bones, joints, ligaments, teeth, and muscles. In addition, the oral cavity and its hard tissues are the first ones to be exposed to exogenous factors during feeding and breathing. The aim of the work was to review the literature of recent years on the toxicology of metals and their possible negative and sometimes positive effects on the metabolism of bones of the masticatory apparatus. In summary, metals commonly found in the environment affect the bones of the masticatory apparatus to varying degrees. Attention should be paid to the sources of individual metals in the environment and to prevent their excessive, unwanted effects on the bones of the masticatory apparatus. (AU)

El aparato masticatorio constituye una unidad funcional del cuerpo humano especializada en la regulación y coordinación de los procesos del habla, la masticación y la deglución. Está constituida por huesos, ligamentos, articulaciones, músculos y dientes. El tejido óseo de la cavidad bucal es el primero en estar expuesto a factores exógenos durante la alimentación y la respiración. El objetivo del presente trabajo es realizar una revisión de lo reportado en la literatura en los últimos años, con respecto a los efectos beneficiosos o nocivos de los metales pesados sobre el metabolismo de los huesos del aparato masticatorio. En resumen, se evidencia que los metales presentes en el medioambiente afectan a estos huesos en diferentes grados. Se debe prestar especial atención a identificar las fuentes de donde provienen estos metales, para prevenir los efectos no deseados sobre el tejido óseo masticatorio generados por una excesiva exposición a ellos. (AU)