Effects of the ascorbic acid supplementation on NADH-diaphorase myenteric neurons in the duodenum of diabetic rats

• Published in: Biocell 2006-01, Vol.30 (2), p.295-300
• Main Authors: Pereira, Marli Aparecida dos Santos, Bagatin, Maria Claúdia, Zanoni, Jacqueline Nelisis
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Animals; Ascorbic acid; Ascorbic Acid - administration & dosage; Ascorbic Acid - pharmacology; BIOLOGY; Body Weight - drug effects; Cell Membrane - drug effects; Diabetes; Diabetes mellitus; Diabetes Mellitus, Experimental; Dietary Supplements; Dihydrolipoamide Dehydrogenase - metabolism; Duodenum; Duodenum - cytology; Duodenum - drug effects; Duodenum - enzymology; Male; Myenteric Plexus - drug effects; Myenteric Plexus - enzymology; NADH; NADH-diaphorase; Neurons; Neurons - drug effects; Neurons - enzymology; Rats; Rats, Wistar; Rodents; Supplements; Vitamin C
• ISSN: 0327-9545; 1667-5746
• DOI: 10.32604/biocell.2006.30.295

We assessed the ascorbic acid (AA) supplementation on the myenteric neurons in the duodenum of rats. Fifteen rats with 90 days of age were divided into three groups: control (C), diabetics (D) and ascorbic acid treated diabetics (DA). After 120 days of daily treatment with AA, the duodenum was submitted to the NADH-diaphorase (NADH-d) histochemical technique, which allowed us to evaluate the neuronal density in an area of 8.96 mm2 for each duodenum, and also to measure the cellular profile area of 500 neurons per group. The supplementation promoted an increase on AA levels. The neuronal density (p < 0.05) was higher in the group DA when compared to group D. There were no significant differences in the neuronal areas, when we compared groups C (204 +/- 16.5) and D (146.3 +/- 35.84) to groups D and DA (184.5 +/- 5.6) (p > 0.05). The AA-supplementation avoided the density reduction of the NADHd myenteric neurons in the duodenum of diabetic rats.