Effect of black pepper, turmeric and ajwa date on the endocrine pancreas of the experimentally induced diabetes in wister albino rats: A histological and immunohistochemical study

Background

Diabetes is now a global problem and millions of people are suffering all over the world. Reports exist for the allopathic use of turmeric, black pepper, and date palm as an antidiabetic and antioxidant agent.

Aim

The current study was designed to assess the antihyperglycemic, antioxidants and antihyperlipidemic consequences of black pepper (BP), turmeric (T), ajwa pulp (AP), and ajwa seeds (AS) in alloxan-induced diabetic rats.

Methodology

Diabetes was induced by a single intraperitoneal injection of alloxan (150 mg/kg b.w) in rats. They were randomly divided into 11 groups of 18 male and 18 female rats each. Group-1 normal control, group-2 diabetic control, group-3 was administered with glibenclamide (10 mg/kg), group-4 was administered with aqueous extract of BP (50 mg/kg), group-5, 6, 7 were administered with T, AP and AS (500 mg/kg) and group-8, 9, 10, 11 were administered with different combinations of aqueous extract (500 mg/kg) once in a day for eight weeks. The antihyperglycemic potential was determined through biochemical and histological investigations of the experimental animals at the end of the experiment.

Results

The results of the study revealed that treatments improved glucose (229.53 mg/dL), Ghb (7.68%), insulin (13.63 U/L), Tg (95.92 mg/dL), Tc (152.86 mg/dL), HDL (23.22 mg/dL), LDL (110.30 mg/dL), TAC (1.89 mmol/L) and TOS (20.05 μmol/L) in comparison to diabetic control rats after 8 weeks of study period. Histological and immunohistochemical investigation of tissues exhibited severe changes in the pancreas of diabetic rats and treatments modulate these changes; this improvement in cells may explain the antidiabetic effects.

Conclusion

It is concluded that aqueous extract of BP+AS; and BP+T+AP+AS could be promising nutraceutical therapy for diabetes management and its associated complications.