Effects of melatonin administration on blood coagulability and lipid profile in experimentally diabetic albino rats

ABSTRACT

Diabetes is associated with high incidence of atherosclerosis due to the significant dyslipideamia and the increased platelet adhesiveness with increased tendency for coagulation. In this study the effects of melatonin, the hormone of the pineal gland, on the blood coagulability and lipid profile was investigated in experimentally diabetic rats. The rats in this study were divided into 4 groups group I [control], group II [control + melatonin], Group III [diabetic] and group IV [Diabetic + melatonin]. Melatonin was administered in group II and IV orally as a single daily dose of 30 mg/kg body weight for one month. The results of this study revealed that, melatonin induced a significant decrease in serum TG, LDL levels accompanied with a significant increase in serum HDL, which was associated with an insignificant effect on serum cholesterol. Moreover, melatonin administration provoked a significant increase in bleeding time, prothrombin time and partial thromboplastin time accompanied with a significant inhibition in platelet aggregation, which was associated with an insignificant effect on platelet number. In conclusion, melatonin has a protective effect in diabetic patients and it can reduce the incidence of clot formation and coronary heart diseases, which are more common in those patients