PROTECTIVE EFFECT OF URTICA DIOICA ON RENAL MORPHOMETRIC AND HISTOLOGIC ALTERATIONS IN STREPTOZOTOCIN DIABETIC RATS

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Hyperglycemia causes renal morphometric and histological alterations. This study was done to determine the protective role of urtica dioica on renal morphometric and histological alterations in streptozotocin diabetic rats.METHODS: Thirty adult Wistar rats divided into three groups. Group I normal control group, group II: diabetic group animal received 80 mgkg STZ (streptozotocin) by intraperitoneally and group III: protective group, rats received 100 mg/kg daily hydroalcoholic extract of U. dioica for 5 days then diabetes induced in animals by STZ. In the end of five weeks the animals had been scarified, the kidneys fixed by buffer formaldehyde, processed, sectioned and stained with H;E. FINDINGS: Mean of blood glucose concentrations in end of fifth weeks were 99.4, 454.7 and 303.6 in control, diabetic and protective groups, respectively (p