Experimental model of thermally induced-tongue ulcer in mice

Tongue ulcer is a common condition, which persists for days or weeks and causes pain and discomfort. Experimental animal models are crucial in investigating the efficacy and safety of novel drugs and therapeutic approaches for the treatment of tongue ulcer. In this report, we provide thorough information on the procedures and the ulcer pathology progress by clinical and histological observation on each main ulcer stages, to establish an experimental model of thermally induced-traumatic ulcer in tongue mucosa for utilization in future alternative therapy studies. The procedure was performed on Mus Musculus, and the mice were divided into the control and thermal groups. An 80°-ball pointed instrument used for ulcer induction was placed on the lateral left mucosa of the tongue for 5s. The day when the ulcer formed and healed was observed. Clinical assessment was conducted by observing the ulcer diameter, redness, swollen membrane, and weight of mice. Histological examination was performed by observing for epithelial disintegration, vasodilatation of blood vessels, and infiltration of inflammatory cells on days 1, 8, and 9 after thermal application. Ulcer was observed on day 0 right after the induction, and it reached its peak on days 1-3. The average physiologic healing time was on days 8 and 9. The mice with ulcer in the lateral tongue experienced weight loss but recovered after the ulcer diminished. Ulcer treated with triamcinolone acetonide 0.1% diminished 2-3 days earlier than the ulcer that was not treated. Our thermal model of tongue ulcer in mice provides a simple and standardized method that establishes a uniform tongue ulcer model in mice. This model was designed as the standard method for tongue ulcer due to thermal injury.