Abstract
This study is designed to explore the effect of paricalcitol (vitamin D receptor agonist) on pancreatic oxidative stress, inflammatory markers, and adiponectin and glycemic status in diabetic rats.
Forty Sprague-Dawley male rats aged 10-12 weeks (150-250 g) were used in this study. Type 2 diabetes was developed by providing 4 weeks of high-fat-diet feeding before one shot of streptozotocin injection (40 mg/kg i.p.). Four study groups were designed as normal control rats, diabetic control vehicle-treated, diabetic paricalcitol-treated (0.8 mu g/kg), and diabetic glibenclamide-treated (0.6 mg/kg) groups with 10 animals in each. After treatment of diabetic rats for 3 months, pancreatic inflammatory and oxidative stress markers, plasma adiponectin, glycemic status parameters, and histopathological pancreatic islet changes were evaluated.
Paricalcitol and glibenclamide treatment significantly (P < 0.05) decreased plasma glucose, insulin resistance, and pancreatic malondialdehyde and tumor necrosis factor-alpha levels. Moreover, they significantly (P < 0.05) increased plasma fasting insulin, C-peptide, adiponectin, pancreatic IL-2, catalase, superoxide dismutase, glutathione peroxidase, and reduced glutathione when contrasted with diabetic control rats. Furthermore, they prevented extensive histopathological damage in the pancreas of diabetic rats.
Paricalcitol reduced pancreatic oxidative stress and inflammatory markers, and improved glycemic status in diabetic rats.