Modulation of the macrophage polarization index in the palatal gland tissue of rats upon administration of quercetin against the background of chemical castration

Abstract

Research into the molecular and immune mechanisms that maintain tissue homeostasis in the mucosal system is highly relevant, given that disruption to the structural and functional integrity of the minor salivary glands caused by systemic factors significantly weakens the local immune response of the oral mucosa. This study aimed to determine the effect of triptorelin on the dynamics of the M1/M2 macrophage polarisation index in the tissues of the minor salivary glands of the hard palate in rats under conditions of chemical castration and quercetin correction. The material for the morphological study consisted of hard palate mucosa samples from 60 male white rats. The rats were divided into three groups: a control group; a group that received an isolated subcutaneous injection of a triptorelin solution (0.3 mg/kg); and a group that received a similar triptorelin administration, followed by an oral quercetin treatment (100 mg/kg, three times a week). A range of modern immunohistochemical techniques were employed to identify macrophage phenotypes, utilising monoclonal primary antibodies against the markers CD68 (general population) and CD163 (alternatively activated M2 subtype). Quantitative analysis of immunopositive cells was then performed using light microscopy in ten representative fields of view. Statistical and variational analyses of the obtained digital data were performed using the non-parametric Mann-Whitney test to assess the significance of differences between independent groups at a significance level of p