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Vol3 No.1 -1 : Therapeutic effectiveness of fenugreek seeds on pancreatic toxicity in young and adult male rats exposed to water nitrate pollution

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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.

Vol 3 No. 1-1
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Vol.2 No.11 -2 : Efficacy of saffron extract and fenugreek seeds supplementation on liver of streptozotocin induced diabetic rats

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By : Doaa A. Ali , Hanaa Serag , Ahmed Abdeen and Radwa Refaat

Abstract

The present study aimed to investigate the possible hypoglycemic and hepatoprotective effects of saffron extract (100mg/kg b.wt) and fenugreek supplementation (1.4 g/day/kg b.wt) in STZ- induced diabetic rats at biochemical, histological, histochemical and ultrastructural levels. The results indicated that a single dose of STZ (50 mg /kg b wt, i.p) caused a significant increase in serum and liver total lipids, total cholesterol and triglyceride as well as serum low density and a very low density lipoprotein, accompanied by an increase in serum glucose level and oxidative stress marker, malondialdehyde and hydrogen peroxide level as well as serum aspartate and alanine aminotransferase activities. The results also reported a significant decrease in the high density lipoprotein, serum and liver total protein, serum albumin and globulin contents and A/G ratio, as well as a significant decrease in serum insulin level and the liver enzyme activities and the hepatic glutathione content. Histologically, STZ treated group showed degenerative changes in the pancreas and alteration in the structural integrity of the hepatocytes and their intracellular organelles. Histochemically, liver sections of STZ treated animals displayed marked decrease in the glycogen and total protein contents. On the other hand, the intake of saffron or fenugreek minimize the disturbance observed in the most tested parameters resulted from STZ administration and improve the liver structure and functions. Finally, it can be concluded that the intake of natural product such as saffron or fenugreek may be effective in reducing the diabetic liver injury induced by streptozotocin and the fenugreek supplementation showed more amelioration than saffron extract.

2-Efficacy-of-saffron-extract-and-fenugreek-seeds-supplementation-on-liver-of-streptozotocin-induced-diabetic-rats
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