Potential effect of chromium on serum insulin and blood glucose levels in nondiabetic, diabetic and in glibenclamide pretreated diabetic rats

Nowadays, there is increasing data supporting the idea that inadequate dietary chromium may be responsible in part of impaired glucose tolerance resulting in hyperglycemia, glucosuria and insulin resistance. Therefore the present study is designed to elucidate potential effect of chromium in glucose metabolism and insulin resistance. Fifty male albino rats weighing 120 +/- 20 gm were used in this study. The animals were classified into three groups, each group was used to conduct one experiment. It was found that in the first experiment, chromium produced a significant decrease in blood glucose but did not produce significant changes in serum insulin level, while in the second group, chromium produced a significant decrease in blood glucose level accompanied by a significant increase in serum insulin level with obvious regeneration of beta cells of pancreas. In the third group, chromium produced a significant decrease in blood glucose as well as significant increase in serum insulin level. Also in concomitant administration of chromium with glibenclamide, produced high significant decrease in blood glucose level and increase in serum insulin level and the histopathological picture of beta cells appear to be more or less normal. Chromium decreases blood glucose and increases serum insulin level in alloxan induced diabetic rats as well as potentiates the hypoglycemic and hyperinsulinemic effect of glibenclamide. These effects may be due to the increment of responsivens of insulin receptors, also may be related to a cell protecting effect of chromium especially on beta cells of pancreas

Potential effect of omiprazole on skeletal muscle contraction in experimental animals

Omeprazole is widely used as an antiulcer and anesthetic premeditation. Recently, it was reported that, omeprazole potentiates the effect of neuromuscular blockers. So, the present study was designed to investigate the effect of omeprazole on skeletal muscle contraction and a potential interaction between omeprazole and some neuromuscular blockers namely gallamine [non depolarizing] and succinylcholine [depolarizing]. This study revealed that omeprazole I.V. [4-32 mg/kg] produced a significant [> 0.05] decrease in amplitude of contraction of indirect electrically stimulated rat's gastrocnemius muscle. Omeprazole 10 mg/kg I.V. intensified the relaxant effect in tone of indirect electrically stimulated rat's gastrocnemius muscle, produced by gallamine 0.4 mg/kg I.V. and succinycholine 0.1 mg/kg. The present study also, revealed that omeprazole produced a significant [> 0.05] decrease in amplitude of contraction of toad's rectus muscle induced by acetylcholine. Meanwhile, omeprazole failed to affect potassium chloride [KCI] induced toad's rectus muscle contraction. Omeprazole 0.02 mg/ml augmented the inhibitory effect produced by gallamine 4 micro g/ml and succinylcholine 1 micro g/ml on toad's rectus muscle contraction inducted by acetylcholine. In conclusion, omeprazole has a skeletal muscle relaxant effect at human therapeutic doses, also potentiates the effects produced by gallamine and succinylcholine on rat's gastrocnemius