By : Azza M. El-Wakf ; Ashraf Z. Mahamoud*; Hanaa A. Hassan, Abeer E. Abdrabouh. and Marwa N. Habza

Abstract

Water nitrate pollution has been demonstrated to induce pancreatic toxicity, with increased risk of devel-oping diabetes and exocrine pancreatic cancer. This study aimed to evaluate mechanisms that lead to pan-creatic toxicity in nitrate exposed young and adult male rats, as well as the preventive effect of fenugreek seeds against these changes. Nitrate exposure of both ages showed almost identical changes, including sig-nificant reduction in serum insulin with elevation in blood glycosylated hemoglobin , serum glucose , acid phosphatase, α-amylase and pancreatic tumor marker (carcinoembryonic antigen),indicating a tendency for developing diabetes, in association with pancreatic cancer which seemed of greatest value in the young group. An elevation in pancreas levels of nitric oxide, hydrogen peroxide and lipid peroxidation, with a re-duction in the antioxidants; superoxide dismutase and catalase, as well as glutathione and its metabolizing enzymes; glucose -6- phosphate dehydrogenase and γ- glutamyl transferase were also demonstrated. This goes with marked changes in insulin gene profile, as indicated by appearance of new band with a molecu-lar weight 275 bp and absence of three (1100, 825 and 750) bands as compared to the control of each age. Feeding fenugreek seeds powder to all nitrate exposed rats prevented changes in serum glucose, insulin, pancreatic tumor marker, oxidative stress biomarkers and insulin gene profile, indicating effectiveness of this plant to elicit cyto-protection against nitrate – induced pancreatic toxicity, probably through its antioxi-dant properties.

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Vol 3 No. 1-1
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