title: Effect of Urtica dioica Leaf Alcoholic and Aqueous Extracts on the Number and the Diameter of the Islets in Diabetic Rats.
abstract: Urtica dioica has been known as a plant that decreases blood glucose. Despite the importance of this plant in herbal medicine, relatively little research has been down on effects of this plant on islets yet. The objective of the current study was to evaluate the effect of dried Urtica dioica leaf alcoholic and aqueous extracts on the number and the diameter of the islets and histological parameters in streptozocin-induced diabetic rats. Six rats were used in each group. Group I: Normal rats were administered saline daily for 8 weeks. Group II: Diabetic rats were administered streptozotocin, 50 mg/kg of body weight; Group III: Diabetic rats were administered dried Urtica dioica leaf aqueous extracts for 8 weeks; Group IV: Diabetic rats were administered dried Urtica dioica leaf alcoholic extracts for 8 weeks. The animals, groups of diabetic and normal, were sacrificed by ether anaesthesia. Whole pancreas was dissected. The tissue samples were formalin fixed and paraffin embedded for microscopic examination. Histologic examination and grading were carried out on hematoxylin-eosin stained sections. The effects of administration of dried Urtica dioica leaf alcoholic and aqueous extracts to diabetic rats were determined by histopathologic examination. The pancreas from control rats showed normal pancreatic islets histoarchitecture. Our results also, indicate that the pancreas from diabetic rats show injury of pancreas tissue while the pancreas from diabetic rats treated with dried Urtica dioica leaf alcoholic and aqueous extracts show slight to moderate rearrangement of islets. According to our findings, dried Urtica dioica leaf alcoholic and aqueous extracts can cause a suitable repair of pancreatic tissue in streptozocin-induced diabetic experimental model.
authors.affiliation: Cellular and Molecular Biology Research Center (CMBRC), Babol University of Medical Sciences, Babol, Iran. ; Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Faculty of Medicine, Babol University of Medical Sciences, Babol, Iran.
authors.forename: Durdi
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Qujeq
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Faculty of Medicine, Babol University of Medical Sciences, Babol, Iran.
authors.forename: Mohsen
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Tatar
authors.affiliation: Department of Anatomical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Babol University of Medical Sciences, Babol, Iran.
authors.forename: Farideh
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Feizi
authors.affiliation: Cellular and Molecular Biology Research Center (CMBRC), Babol University of Medical Sciences, Babol, Iran. ; Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Faculty of Medicine, Babol University of Medical Sciences, Babol, Iran.
authors.forename: Hadi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Parsian
authors.affiliation: Department of Anatomical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Babol University of Medical Sciences, Babol, Iran.
authors.forename: Alieh
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Sohan Faraji
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Faculty of Medicine, Babol University of Medical Sciences, Babol, Iran.
authors.forename: Sohrab
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Halalkhor
keywords: Diabetes; Urtica dioica; alcoholic and aqueous extract; pancreas; rat