July - September 2017, Volume 13, Issue 3

Noorafshan A, Ebrahimi S, Esmaeilzadeh E, Arabzadeh H, Bahmani-Jahromi M, S A

Effects of Arnebia Euchroma Extract on Streptozotocin Induced Diabetes in Rats: A Stereological Study

Acta Endo (Buc) 2017, 13 (3): 272-277
doi: 10.4183/aeb.2017.272

Background. Diabetes mellitus (DM) is considered as an important health confounder in our world, which necessitates its better management by new methods. In this study, we have evaluated the effects of oral Arnebia Euchroma (AE) extract on different stereological parameters of the pancreas as well as blood glucose in Streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetes in rats. Methods. We divided 48 Wistar rats into 4 groups: C1 including normal rats, C2 not-treated diabetic rats, E1 with diabetic rats receiving 100 mg/kg AE extract orally, and E2 including diabetic rats treated with 300 mg/kg AE extract. Stereological study was done and the levels of blood glucose were also estimated and compared between experimental and control groups. Results. There were significant differences in volumes of pancreatic islets, β cell populations, blood glucose levels in AE treated groups compared with nottreated diabetic group. Conclusion. Although AE did not completely prevent or heal the pancreatic damage, its oral administration showed promising effects on maintaining the population of beta cells, the main insulin secreting cells, after STZ-induced injury and also lowered blood glucose levels compared to the not-treated diabetic group.

Keywords: Arnebia euchroma, Diabetes, Streptozotocin, Stereology

Correspondence: Elmira Esmaeilzadeh MD, MPH, Student Research Committee, Shiraz Medical School, Emam Hossein Square, Zand Street, Shiraz, Iran, E-mail: elmira69.es@gmail.com