Lacrimal gland Alterations and the Effect of artesunate on experimental induced diabetes rat models and related mechanisms

Abstract

Diabetic patients are at high risk of developing lacrimal gland dysfunction, and the antimalarial drug artesunate (ART) was recently used to induce experimental-induced diabetes mellitus. This study’s objective is to investigate the lacrimal gland alteration and the effect of ART on experimentally induced diabetes rat models and its related mechanisms. Forty rats were divided into five groups (8 rats/group): healthy control group (HC), diabetic group (DM), 50 mg/kg ART intervention diabetic group [DM + ART (50 mg/kg)], 100 mg/kg ART intervention diabetic group [DM + ART (100 mg/kg)] and 6 U/kg Insulin intervention diabetic group (DM + INS). The morphology of the eyeball and lacrimal gland tissues was determined using hematoxylin and eosin staining. In addition, external lacrimal glands were harvested for electronic microscopic examination, NFκB1, and TNF-α protein expression evaluation by immunohistochemistry and mRNA expression analysis by RT-PCR. Histopathological and ultrastructural changes suggest ART intervention has an improved structural effect. Protein expression of NFκB1 in the DM + ART (100 mg/kg) group was decreased. TNF-α significantly decreased in the DM + ART (50 mg/kg) and insulin groups. We concluded that ART improves structural changes in a lacrimal gland in diabetic rats. The present study provides further evidence of the therapeutic effect of ART on the lacrimal gland of diabetic rats by decreasing the expression of NFκB1 and TNF-α.