ABSTRACT
To study the effects of L-Arginine on high fat diet induced changes in adrenal cortex. A prospective experimental study. This study was conducted at the Department of Anatomy, Basic Medical Sciences Institute, Jinnah Post Graduate Medical Centre Karachi from August 2008 to October 2008. Thirty male adult albino rats were taken for the study and were divided into three groups according to the dietary regimen. Group A received control diet. Group B received high fat diet with 20% added fat in the form of butter. Group C received high fat diet along with L-Arginine 300mg/kg/ day orally. After the end of the study period that is 8 weeks, animals were weighed and sacrificed. The adrenal glands were removed, fixed in buffered neutral formalin and after processing embedded in paraffin to form blocks. 4 micro m thick sections were cut and stained with H and E and Mallory's trichrome stains for morphometeric study. Highly significant increase in weight [P<0.001] was observed in animals of Group B and moderately significant [P<0.01] decrease was observed in Group c animals when compared to control and group B animals respectively. Cortical enlargement was found in zona glomerulosa and fasciculate and decreased thickness was observed in zona reticularis in group B animals, when compared to control, the results were highly significant [P<0.001]. In group C decreased cortical thickness was noted in zona glomerulosa and fasciculata but in zona Mallory's trichrome stained sections of Group B animals showed dilated blood vessels in the three cortical zones, more numerous in zona fasciculate when compared to control animals. In Group C no marked change was observed in all three cortical zones when compared to control. L-Arginine restricts the excessive weight gain caused by high fat diet. It also ameliorates the hypertrophic and vasodilatory effects on adrenal cortex caused by high fat diet
Subject(s)
Animals, Laboratory , Adrenal Cortex/drug effects , Dietary Fats , Weight Gain , RatsABSTRACT
High fat diet stimulates Hypothalamic -pituitary- adrenal [HPA] axis activity and enhances the release of corticosteroids from adrenal gland which in turn contributes to metabolic syndrome by producing insulin resistance. Present study objectives are to compare the effects of two different types of fat that is saturated and polyunsaturated on the histology of adrenal gland with respect to its activity. Prospective experimental. Department of Anatomy BMSI, JPMC August - October: 2008 A total of 30 adult male albino rats weighing 200-240 gm, aged 190 days were divided into three groups. group 'A' received standard laboratory diet and group 'B' received high saturated fats in the form of unsalted butter as 20% added fat of the total calories. Group 'C' received high unsaturated fats in diet i.e. 20% fat added in the form of corn oil of the total calories. Each group was subdivided according to their time of sacrifice i.e. 4 and 8 weeks respectively. Animals were sacrificed at the end of their respective periods by ether anesthesia. Adrenal glands were dissected out, weighed and processed for paraffin embedding and sectioned at 41mm thickness to be stained with H and E, for cell count and cell diameter in the 3 cortical zones. Observations on adrenal gland weight /100gm of body weight of butter and corn oil treated groups revealed moderately significant decrease in weight in corn oil treated group at 4 weeks while there was insignificant difference at 8weeks when compared to butter treated group. There was insignificant difference in cell count in the three zones between butter and corn oil treated groups. Cell diameter in zona fasciculata was significantly increased in butter treated groups at 8 weeks when compared to corn oil treated group. Insignificant differences were found in most of the observation between the 2 fat groups. Insignificant difference in adrenal gland weight /100gm body weight between butter and corn oil treated groups at 8 weeks was because of less marked increase in body weight in corn oil treated group. Zona fasciculata showed increase cell size in butter treated group reflecting increased stress hormone release