The effect of L-arginine and insulin on histological changes in sreptozotocintreated rat adrenal gland

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.