Histochemical and Immunohistochemical Investigation of the Effects of Sambucus Nigra on Mast Cells and VEGF in Diabetic Rat Spleen

Abstract

Diabetes mellitus is a metabolic disorder characterized by chronic hyperglycemia due to disturbed insulin secretion or insulin function. The purpose of this study was to look into the effect of Sambucus nigra (S. nigra) extract on mast cell number and immunohistochemical expression of VEGF-immune positive cells in experimental diabetic rat spleen. Thirty-two male were used in this study. Control group, Diabetes group, S. nigra group and Diabetes + S. nigra group. When the groups were evaluated, the least number of mast cells (MC) was detected in the control group, whereas the highest number of MCs was observed in the diabetes group. The MC numbers in the S. nigra and diabetes + S. nigra groups were close. The application of S. nigra to diabetic rats resulted in a considerable reduction in the number of MCs, which was a notable finding in our investigation. The number of immune positive VEGF cells increased only in the diabetes group when the groups were examined individually. VEGF expression was similar in the control group, S. nigra group, and diabetes + S. nigra group. As a remarkable finding in our study, it was observed that the application of S. nigra caused a decrease in the number of immune-positive VEGF cells in diabetic rats. As a result, this study showed that S. nigra caused a decrease in the number of MC and immune-positive VEGF cells that increase with diabetes. These findings suggest that MCs may be both a source and a target of VEGFs.