Red palm oil mitigates vitamin a deficiency in parotid salivary glands an animal study

Abstract

Vitamin A deficiency leads to various health problems, including effects on salivary glands, resulting in xerostomia that may adversely affect the oral cavity. Red palm oil, a natural product, is well known for its therapeutic effect owing to its high content of vitamin A. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of Red palm oil on parotid salivary glands of albino rats after induction of vitamin A deficiency. 21 rats were divided into 3 groups: Group I (control), Group II (vitamin A deficiency), Group III (vitamin A deficiency+ Red palm oil). Histological examination and immunohistochemical analysis of Caspase 3 and Ki67 were performed. Results showed that group II rats suffered from adverse effect on the parotid salivary glands represented as degenerated acini and ducts. Group III showed recovery of the histological structure of the glands following the administration of Red Palm oil. The findings of this study demonstrate that Red Palm oil can counteract the deleterious effects of Vitamin A deficiency on the parotid salivary glands. Copyright (c) 2026 The Authors. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License