Effects of Sulfur Mustard on Ileum Goblet Cells in Rats

Aims. Sulfur mustard gas, a cytotoxic and gene toxic agent, leads to the necrosis of the epithelial cells of the respiratory and gastrointestinal tracts. These lesions result in severe diarrhea and weight loss. This research was conducted to determine the effects of sulfur mustard gas on the ileum and goblet cells due to their significance in the absorption of ions, electrolytes and some other nutrients. Methods. 66 Albino Nmri mature male Rats weighting 200 + 20g were randomly selected and then randomly assigned into 11 groups. The first group served as the control group. The second group, receiving thyroids buffer as solvent of Sulfur Mustard (SM), served as the sham group. The other 3 groups received doses of 2.5, 5 and 10 mg/kg intra peritoneal (IP) injections of SM, respectively. At day 2 and weeks 2 and 8, the animals were slaughtered and samples of their ileum were prepared and fixed in the bouins solution. The samples were then dehydrated and embedded in paraffin wax and sectioned serially, measuring 5 m m in thickness. The sections were stained by hematoxyline -Eosin and Alician blue. Microscopic graticule Holland eye- piece and motic software were used to examine the samples both morphologically, quantitatively and qualitatively. Results. The results of the research showed that sulfur mustard injection caused severe weight loss in the short term, but this reduction is less noticeable in the long term. Moreover, a significant reduction in the number of goblet cells was observed (P<0.001). Conclusion. The reduction of goblet cells in the 2.5mg group and 24 hours’ time was not statistically significant, which could be due to the low toxicity effect of this dose. However, the number of goblet cells in the 5 and 10mg/kg groups with 24 hours’ duration versus the sham group was statistically reduced (p<0.001). This reduction was due to the death of stem cells and a cessation of cell division. The importance of stem cells in producing goblet cells and consequently their role in protecting epithelial cells merits further research.