The Influence of Glimepiride on the Biochemical and Histomorphological Features of Streptozotocin - Induced Diabetic Rabbits

Sajad Hussain Mir, M.M. Darzi, Fayaz Ahmad, M.Z. Chishti and M.S. Mir

An experiment was conducted to study the efficacy of glimepiride (a new sulphonylurea) on the biochemical values and histomorphological features of streptozotocin-induced diabetic rabbits. Eighteen New Zealand white male rabbits were selected for the study. The rabbits were randomly divided into three Groups of six each. Group I was kept as normal healthy control (NC), Group II and Group III were made diabetic by single intravenous administration of streptozotocin (@ 65 mg/kg. b.w.). Glimepiride was given to Group III rabbits by gavage @ 2mg/kg. b.w. daily for twenty-one days whereas Group I and Group II rabbits received normal saline in the similar manner. The results indicated a significant decrease in the blood sugar (P<0.01), blood urea (P<0.001) and serum creatinine (P<0.001) in Group III rabbits. Further, the histomorphological study showed an increase in the percentage of beta cells in pancreatic islets and recovery of renal tubules in Group III rabbits. The findings indicate that glimepiride improves the biochemical values and ameliorates the histopathology of diabetic rabbits particularly restoring the morphology of beta cells of islets of Langerhan's and thus, seems to be encouraging