Yasmeen Mahar, Amir Ali Shoro, Anjum Naqvi.
The Effect of l-Arginine and Insulin on Histological Changes in Sreptozotocintreated Rat Adrenal Gland.
Pak J Med Health Sci Jan ;6(4):843-6.

Aims: To evaluate the protective role of L-arginine (L-arg) on the morphology of adrenal cortex of streptozotocin (STZ) treated adrenal glands of albino rats. Serum adrenocorticotropin (ACTH) and corticosterone levels were also determined as stress markers. Study design: Prospective experimental study. Place and duration of study: This study was conducted in the Department of Anatomy, Basic Medical Sciences Institute (BMSI), JPMC, Karachi, from February to March, 2011. Material & methods: In a 6 weeks study, 30 male albino rats were divided into 3 groups, containing 10 animals each. Gp-A was treated as control. Gps-B received STZ 37mg/kg intraperitoneally (I/P) only once at the start of experiment. Gps-C received L-arg orally in a dose of 0.3 mg/100GB.W/day a week before STZ treatment.Serum ACTH and corticosterone levels were also measured. Results: Haematoxylin and Eosin (H&E) stained sections of cortex of adrenal glands of STZ treated Gp-B showed marked pathology and dis-arrangement of cells in all the three zones of adrenal cortex. Atrophy of zona glomerulosa (Z.G.) and hypertrophy of zona fasciculata (Z.F.) was observed in Gp-B along with enhanced secretions of serum ACTH and cortisol. L-arg had moderately reduced the severity of damage to the adrenal cortex in Gps-C there was also a moderate increase observed in the serum levels of ACTH and decreased corticosterone. Conclusions: L-arg as a nitric oxide (NO) donor and as an antioxidant, plays a significant role in preserving adrenal morphology and functions in cancer patients who are treated with chemotherapeutic drugs like STZ.

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