Ameliorating Effect of L-arginine and Insulin on Streptozotocin-induced Adrenal Gland Injury in Albino Rats

Background:Use of dietary supplements to treat illnesses has increasedtremendously in recentyears.Adrenal gland is one ofthemost commonly damaged endocrine gland in the body, not only by chemical or radiation injuries, but also as a result of differenttypes of stress.Search is underway for use ofnatural foods for protection of adrenal gland from different types ofinsults.Objective: To determine the protective effects of L-arginine on streptozotocin (STZ)-induced adrenal gland injury in albino rats,andto compare its efficacy to insulin.Material and Methods: This prospective experimental study was done at BMSI, JPMC, Karachi. Forty male, healthy albino rats,90-120 days old were segregated into 4 groups. Group A was marked as control, group B was administered STZ, group C and Dwere treated with STZ along with insulin and L-arginine respectively. At the end of study period, i.e., 6 weeks, animals weresacrificed under ether anaesthesia. Tissue from the left adrenal gland was processed for frozen sectioning to observe fat content ofthe adrenal cortex by applying OilRed O stain.Results: Oil Red-0 stained frozen sections revealed closely aggregated fat globules in adrenal cortex of STZ treated group B ascompared to control. Moderate betterment was seen in group C and in group D Oil Red O stained frozen sections as compared toSTZ treated group B.Conclusion: The results ofthe study demonstrated adrenal cortex injury by STZ which ameliorated with concomitant use of insulinandL-arginine. The protection was more pronounced with L-arginine as comparedto insulin.Keywords:STZ, adrenal gland,insulin,L-arginine