Abstract
An investigation was made of the effect of Momordica charantia fruit juice on the distribution and number of α, β and δ cells in the pancreas of streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic rats using immunohistochemical methods. The results indicated that there was a significant (Student's t- test, P < 0.004) increase in the number of β cells in M. charantia-treated animals when compared with untreated diabetics, however, their number was still significantly less than that obtained for normal rats. There was also a significant (P < 0.006) increase in the number of δ cells in STZ-diabetic rats compared to non-diabetic rats. This increase in the number of δ cells was not affected by M. charantia treatment. The number of α cells did not change significantly in M. charantia-treated rats when compared with untreated diabetic rats. Our results suggest that oral feeding of M. charantia fruit juice may have a role in the renewal of β cells in STZ- diabetic rats or alternately may permit the recovery of partially destroyed β cells.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 145-151 |
| Number of pages | 7 |
| Journal | Diabetes Research and Clinical Practice |
| Volume | 40 |
| Issue number | 3 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - Jun 1998 |
Keywords
- Diabetes
- Momordica charantia juice
- Rat
- Streptozotocin
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Internal Medicine
- Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism
- Endocrinology