Abstract
Background: Oral contraceptive pills (OCs) are now commonly used in millions of women worldwide. Therefore, information on the risks and benefits of therapies is critically important. Several lines of evidence have proved that oral contraceptive pills induce oxidative stress and depletion of serum antioxidants. Oxidative stress plays a major part in the development of pathological condition among which one is diabetes. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of oral contraceptive pills on oxidative stress in streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic female rats.
Methods: Adult female Wistar albino rats (n=40) weighing (200-220g) were divided into four groups; control group, COC group: normal rats treated with COC (combined oral contraceptive pills) daily for every 4 days for 32 days by gastric tube, Diabetic group: the animals were injected by STZ at the dose of 60 mg/kg, Diabetic+ COC group: diabetic rats treated with COC as in COC group. At the end of experimental all rats were sacrificed and parameters were measured.
Results: The results indicated that diabetic rats and diabetic+COCs groups induced hyperglycemia and hyperlipidemia (TC, TG, LDL) and increase in liver function enzymes (AST, ALT) associated with oxidative stress markers indicative of lipid peroxidation (MDA) and decreased the antioxidant enzymes (SOD, CAT, GSH) in pancreatic tissues and disturbance in sex hormones (E2, progesterone) as compared to control group. While, COCs group induced increase in MDA, TC, LDL, AST and ALT with decreased in SOD, CAT, HDL, E2 and progesterone as compared to control group. Diabetic+ COCs exhibited an increase in glucose, MDA, AST and ALT accompanied by a decrease in SOD, CAT and E2 as compared to diabetic rats.
Conclusion: These results suggest that diabetic rats consuming oral contraceptive pills may be more susceptible to oxidative stress by enhanced depletion of antioxidant and increased lipid peroxidation.