Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Stereological study of the effects of orally administrated Otostegia persica extract on pancreatic beta cells in male diabetic rats

  • Original Article
  • Published:
Comparative Clinical Pathology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Otostegia persica extract was used as a traditional medicine for the management of diabetes mellitus in humans in some parts of Iran. This study investigated the effects of O. persica oral extract on pancreatic beta cells in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats by stereological methods. Thirty-two matured normoglycemic male Sprague–Dawley rats, weighing 180–220 g, were selected and randomly divided into four groups: Control group consists of normal rats which did not receive the extract during the study. Diabetic group comprises diabetic rats but did not receive any extract. Treated control group rats were normal but received the extract at a dose of 500 mg/kg/day. Treated diabetic group (TD) was made up of diabetic rats and received the extract (500 mg/kg/day). Diabetes was induced by a single intraperitoneal injection of 50 mg/kg of streptozotocin. After 1 month, all the rats received deep anesthesia with ether, and then, the pancreas was dissected and processed. Isotropic uniform and random sections were obtained by orientator method. Volume of pancreatic beta cells and also volume density of pancreatic island were studied, using stereologic and ultrastereological methods. Blood glucose level (BGL) and blood insulin level (BIL) were measured in different phases during the investigation. Statistical analysis by one-way analysis of variance test showed the presence of hypertrophic changes in the volume of the remaining beta cells in diabetic group, not in the controls. But such changes reduced significantly (P < 0.05) in the TD group which received the extract. Also, a significant reduction in pancreatic islet volume in diabetic and TD groups was seen, in comparison with the controls (P < 0.01). BGL decreased significantly in TD group, compared to the diabetic group (P < 0.001). BIL decreased in diabetic and TD groups in comparison to the controls (P < 0.05). This study demonstrated that O. persica oral extract can play an effective role in the management of diabetes and probably by controlling the hyperglycemic condition and not stimulating the beta cell to increase insulin secretion can help prevent to a large extent the entering of the remaining beta cells to some pathologic changes, like hypertrophy.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Bancroft JD, Gamble M (2002) Theory and practice of histological technique, 5th edition. Churchill Livingston, London, pp 556–557, 364

    Google Scholar 

  • Braendgaard H, Gunderson HJ (1986) The impact of recent stereological advances on quantitative studies of the nervous system. J Neurosci Methods 18(1–2):39–78

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Castro VR (1998) Chromium in a series of Portuguese plants used in the herbal treatment of diabetes. Biol Trace Elem Res 62:101–106

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Chatterjee K, Ali KM, Mallick C, Ghosh D (2009) Antihyperglycaemic, antioxidative activities of a formulated poly herbal drug MTEC (Modified) in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rat. Journal of Medicinal Plants Research 3(6):468–480

    Google Scholar 

  • Chen MD, Lin PY, Tsou CT, Wang JJ, Lin WH (1995) Selected metal status in patients with non insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus. Biol Trace Elem Res 50:119–124

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Ebrahimpoor MR, Khaksar Z, Noorafshan A (2010) Anti-diabetic effect of orally administered Otostegia persica extract on streptozotocin diabetic rats. Comp Clin Pathol 19(4):1–3

    Google Scholar 

  • Ghahraman A (1996) Color atlas of Iranian flora. Research Institute of Forests and Rangelands, Tehran

    Google Scholar 

  • Gundersen HJG, Bendtsen TF, Korbo L, Marcussen N, Møller A, Nielsen K et al (1988) Some new, simple and efficient stereological methods and their use in pathological research and diagnosis. APMIS 96(5):379–394

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Guyton AC, Hall JE (2005) Textbook of medical physiology, 11th edn. Saunders, Philadelphia. ISBN: 0721602401

    Google Scholar 

  • Howard CV, Reed MG (1998) Unbiased stereology three-dimensional measurement in microscopy, 1st edn. Bios Scientific, Oxford, pp 55–68

    Google Scholar 

  • Karaca M, Magnan C, Kargar C (2009) Functional pancreatic beta cell mass: involvement in type 2 diabetes and therapeutic intervention. Diabetes & metabolism 35(2):77–84

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Kavalali G, Tuncel H, Göksel S, Hatemi HH (2002) Hypoglycemic activity of Urtica pilulifera in streptozotocin-diabetic rats. J Ethnopharmacol 84(2):241–245

    Google Scholar 

  • Kesari AN, Gupta RK, Singh SK, Diwakar S, Watal G (2006) Hypoglycemic and antihyperglycemic activity of Aegle marmelos seed extract in normal and diabetic rats. J Ethnopharmacol 107(3):374–379

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Larijani B, Zahedi F, Aghakhani Sh (2003) Epidemiology of diabetes mellitus in Iran. Shiraz E-Medical Journal, 4(4). Available at: http://pearl.sums.ac.ir/semj/vol4/oct2003/DMinIran.htm

  • Luo JZ, Luo L (2006) American ginseng stimulates insulin production and prevents apoptosis through regulation of uncoupling protein-2 in cultured β cells. Evid Based Complement Alternat Med 3(3):365–372

    Article  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Mallick C, Maiti R, Ghosh D (2006) Comparative study on antihyperglycemic and antihyperlipidemic effects of separate and composite extract of seed of Eugenia jambolana and root of Musa paradisiaca in streptozotocin-induced diabetic male albino rat. Iranian Journal of Pharmacology & Therapeutics 5(1):27–33

    Google Scholar 

  • Mertz W (1981) The essential trace elements. Science; 213:1332–1338

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Muhlfeld C, Nyengaard JR, Mayhew TM (2010) A review of state-of-art stereology for better quantitative 3D morphology in cardiac research. Cardiovasc Pathol 19(2):65–82

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Noorafshan A, Karbalay-Doust S, Valizadeh A, Aliabadi E (2011) Ameliorative effects of curcumin on the structural parameters of seminiferous tubules and Leydig cells in metronidazole-treated mice: a stereological approach. Exp Toxicol Pathol 63(7–8):627–633

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Nyengaard JR (1999) Stereologic methods and their application in kidney research. J Am Soc Nephrol 10(5):1100–1123

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Piedrola G, Novo E, Escober F, Garcia‐Robles R (2001) White blood cell count and insulin resistance in patients with coronary disease. Ann Endocrin 62(1):7–10

    Google Scholar 

  • Scherle WA (1970) Simple method for volumetry of organs in quantitative stereology. Mikroskopie 26(1):57–60

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Sterio DC (1984) The unbiased estimation of number and sizes of arbitary particles using the disector. J Microsc 134:127–136

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Tooke JE (1996) Peripheral micrivascular disease in diabetes. Diabetes research and clinical practice 30(1):561–565

    Google Scholar 

  • Ugochukwu NH, Babady NE (2003) Anti-hyperglycemic effect of aqueous and ethanolic extracts of Gongronema latifolium leaves on glucose and glycogen metabolism in livers of normal and streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats. Life Sci 73(15):1925–1938

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Yaryura-Tobias JA, Pinto A, Neziroglu F (2001) Anorexia nervosa, diabetes mellitus, brain atrophy, and fatty liver. Int J Eat Disord 30(3):350–353

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Anatomical ward, School of medicine, Kazerun Branch, Islamic Azad university, Kazerun, Iran

    Mohammad Reza Ebrahimpoor-Mashhadi

  2. Anatomical Ward, School of Veterinary Medicine, Shiraz University, Shiraz, Iran

    Zabiollah Khaksar & Bahman Mogheisi

  3. Histomorphometry and Stereology Research Centre, School of Medicine, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Zand Ave, Shiraz, Iran

    Ali Noorafshan

Authors
  1. Mohammad Reza Ebrahimpoor-Mashhadi
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Zabiollah Khaksar
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Ali Noorafshan
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Bahman Mogheisi
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Mohammad Reza Ebrahimpoor-Mashhadi.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Ebrahimpoor-Mashhadi, M.R., Khaksar, Z., Noorafshan, A. et al. Stereological study of the effects of orally administrated Otostegia persica extract on pancreatic beta cells in male diabetic rats. Comp Clin Pathol 23, 761–767 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00580-013-1682-z

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00580-013-1682-z

Keywords

Search

Navigation