The Effect of Aspirin on Atherogenic Diet-induced Diabetes Mellitus

Exploration of atherogenic diet-induced diabetes mellitus and the evaluation of antidiabetic potential of aspirin were carried out in this study. Male albino Wistar rats were divided into three groups of seven each (1, 2 and 3). Animals of groups 2 and 3 received CCT diet (normal rat chow supplemented with 4% cholesterol, 1% cholic acid and 0.5%, 2-thiouracil), whereas the animals of group 1 received normal feed and served as control. In addition to CCT, animals of group 3 (CCT + Asp) also received aspirin (8 gm/kg), commencing from day 8 till the end of study (day 15). In another experiment (exp. 2), aspirin-supplemented normal rat chow (Asp) was fed to the animals for 7 days and compared with the normal rat chow-fed control group. In experiment 3, an in vitro nitric oxide radical-scavenging potential of aspirin at three different doses (25, 50 and 100 μg/ml) was evaluated. In response to CCT diet, a decrease in serum insulin, α-amylase activity, hepatic glycogen, pancreatic calcium with a concomitant increase in serum glucose, lipid profile (except high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C)), pancreatic nitrite and lipid peroxidation and the size of adipocytes along with macrophages infiltration were observed. Aspirin administration to CCT diet-fed animals (CCT + Asp) reverted all the studied biochemical and histological changes towards normality. In experiment 2, aspirin administration decreased the serum glucose, total cholesterol, triglycerides, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) and VLDL-C with concomitantly increased HDL-C and insulin; however, it increased hepatic glycogen and pancreatic calcium concentration with a decrease in pancreatic and adipose lipid peroxidation. In vitro assay revealed the nitric oxide radical-scavenging potential of aspirin in all the studied doses. It is concluded that CCT diet-induced diabetes mellitus might be the outcome of nitric oxide radical-induced oxidative stress in pancreatic tissue, as well as diminished insulin secretion because of decrease in pancreatic calcium release, obesity and inflammation. However, aspirin treatment reversed all the above-mentioned parameters to normality.