Authors: Arayombo Babatunde Elijah, Viskasari Pintoko Kalanjati, Ofusori David Adesanya, Adewole Olarinde Stephen, Arayombo Arayemi Serah, Ige Mokolade Samson, Arayombo Solomon Bolade, Maduabuchi Samson Daniel, Sloh Jr. Alfred Wehdoe.
Objectives: The aim of the study was to assess the effects of ethyl acetate fraction of lycopene (EAFL) on the histoarchitecture and histomorphometry of liver and pancreas of experimentally-induced diabetic Wistar rats.
Materials and Methods: Sixty adult male Wistar rats weighing between 180 and 200g were used for this study. The animals were kept in the animal holding of the department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife. They were fed on high fat rat diet for 4 weeks and given water ad libitum. The animals were given humane care according to the guidelines of Health Research Ethics Committee, Institute of Public Health, Obafemi Awolowo University. They were divided into 6 groups (A, B, C, D E and F) of 10 rats each. Group A was the normal control that received 2ml/kg/day of distilled water orally for 28 days. Group B was induced with 25 mg/kg/day of streptozocin administered intraperitoneally for 5 days. Group C, D and E were the test groups that received EAFL 20, 40, 60mg/kg/ day per oral, respectively for 28 days after induction of diabetes. Group F was the test group treated with Insulin 5 IU/kg/day subcutaneously for 28 days after induction of diabetes. At the end of the experimental period the rats were given 2 weeks of recovery period, then sacrificed under ether anaesthesia. The blood samples were collected by cardiac puncture into plain bottle for serum analysis. The organs of target were harvested, pancreas and liver were fixed in Bouin’s fluid and 10% neutral buffered formalin respectively. Tissues of the organs were processed for paraffin embedding and sections of 5μm were cut and stained.
Results: The immunohistochemical, histological and biochemical evaluations of liver and pancreas revealed, actual distortion to the target organs as shown by immunoreactivity in the pancreas tissue of the toxic group whereas the test groups that were treated with EAFL did not markedly exhibit immunoreactivity, the group with the highest dose of EAFL expressed a near normal immunoreaction, likewise, the toxic group showed a marked histoarchitectural liver and pancreas tissue distortion due to the chronic hyperglycemic state when compared with the diabetic groups and among which the group treated with the highest dose of EAFL responded best, as evidenced by the reversal of the liver and pancreas tissue distortions.
Conclusion: The findings of this study showed that, EAFL may proffer better treatment option for diabetic liver complications if and when further researched to compare various synthetic antidiabetic medications with this intervening agent, which may eventually be a generally acceptable alternative therapy to abate the menace of diabetes and its associated complications.
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