Effect of Long Term Administration of Aspartame on the Parotid Salivary Glands of Male Albino Rats

40 male albino rats were utilized in the current study. They were divided into two groups, 20 animals each. The first group was considered control group and daily received saline solution by stomach tube for 4 months. The second group was the experimental group and daily received 40mg/kg body weight of aspartame for the same period. Samples from the parotid salivary glands were fixed in 10% buffered neutral formalin and prepared routinely for paraffin sectioning and staining for histopathological and immunohistochemical investigations of proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA).Aspartame treated animals revealedhistopathological degenerative changes in the parotid salivary glands;theacinar cells showed numerous intra-cytoplasmic vacuoles and cellular destruction. The nuclei of the acinar cells revealed hyperchromatism, pleomorphism, and numerous mitotic figures.edema was recorded inbetween the acini and ducts. The ducts showed stagnant secretion and the blood vessels were congested. The connective tissue septa increased in thickness and infilterated with chronic inflammatory cells. The immunoexpression of PCNA in the nuclei of the acinar cells was intense after 4 months daily administration of aspartame. To our knowledge, there is no paper in the available literature reporting the immunohistochemical expression of PCNA exclusively in parotid salivary glands. Therefore, the aim of our study is to study the expression of PCNA in the parotid salivary glands.