Trophic effects of Vanadyl sulphate on pancreatic Beta cells of chronic partially streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats

ABSTRACT

Rats were made partially diabetic by intravenous injection of 40 mg/kg body weight streptozotocin [STZ]. Diabetic rats received 50 mEq/l sodium chloride [base solution] as drinking water for one month and then divided into two groups. Group I rats only received base solution for another month whereas group II were switched to 0.5-1 mg/ml vanadyl sulphate [VS] in base solution. Two months after induction of diabetes another blood sample was taken and all rats were killed to save their pancreases for histopathologic evaluations. Blood glucose levels and fluid intake of group I rats were 550 +/- 15 mg/dl and 210 +/- 8 ml/day respectively. Their plasma insulin, however, decreased to 50% of normal control rats [27 +/- 3 microU/ml]. Blood glucose and water intake of group II rats declined to 185 +/- 7 mg/dl, 25 +/- 4 ml/day but plasma insulin rose to 47 +/- 5 microU/ml which were significantly different from the results obtained in group I. Although the central cells of Islets of Langerhans of untreated diabetic rats were shrunken or missing in the VS treated rats of group II these islets showed almost normal islets with some proliferation and hypertrophy of their beta cells. In conclusion it appears that VS ameliorates diabetes in STZ-induced chronic partially diabetic rats by proliferating the remaining viable beta cells and normalizing the serum insulin level