Endocrine Pancreas Changes in Experimental DMH Administration

Abstract

Dimetilhydrazine (DMH) is a carcinogen currently used to induce bowel neoplasms in rat and mice. In this study we evaluate changes in the endocrine pancreas of animals submitted to the administration of DMH in a protocol of colon cancer induction.A total of 40 wistar male rats, four weeks old were divided into two groups of twenty animals each. The group I was a control group kept with no manipulation. The group II was submitted to the administration of 15mg DMH/Kg twice a week during eight weeks. The animals were sacrificed by the end of the 8th week and a necropsy was performed. The pancreas was collected and processed for histology, stained with haematoxylin and eosin. The section was used for histopathologic evaluation and morphometric analysis of the islets of Langerhans’ areas (La), using SigmaScan Pro®.In the control group (group I) La is 30804.36 ± 13109.6 px and varies between 29020.62 px and 59824.98 px for a 95% confidence interval. The distribution of the La in this group is: VL 0%; L 20,75%; M 58,49%; H 20,75% and VH 0%.In the test group (group II) La is 27367.64 ± 15053.85 px and varies between 25529.84 px and 29205.44 px for a 95% confidence interval. The La distribution in this group is: VL 0%; L 30.93%; M 54.68%; H 7.91% and VH 6.47%.According to these results the endocrine pancreas is a target of DHM and there is a significant decrease in the islets of Langerhans’ area in the sections.