Potential therapeutic effect of medium chain triglyceride oil in ameliorating diabetic liver injury in a streptozotocin-induced diabetic murine model

OBJECTIVE: Diabetes mellitus is one of the most commonly arising endocrine conditions. The disorder gives rise to enduring damage to a number of body tissues and vis-cera as a result of related macrovascular and microvascular complications. In patients who are unable to maintain their nutritional sta-tus independently, medium-chain triglyceride (MCT) oil is frequently added as a supplement to parenteral nutrition. The aim of the present research is to establish whether MCT oil has a therapeutic influence on the hepatic dam-age occurring in male albino rats as a result of streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetes. MATERIALS AND METHODS: 24 male albino rats were randomized into four cohorts, i.e., con-trols, STZ-diabetic, metformin-treated and MCT oil-treated. The rodents were fed a high-fat diet for 14 days; a low dose of intraperitoneal STZ was then administered in order to induce diabetes. The rats were subsequently treated for 4 weeks with metformin or MCT oil. Analysis included an appraisal of liver histology and biochemical indi-ces, i.e., fasting blood glucose (FBG), hepatic en-zymes and glutathione (GSH), the latter obtained from hepatic tissue homogenate. RESULTS: A rise in FBG and hepatic enzymes was observed, but in the STZ-diabetic cohort, hepatic GSH levels were diminished. Treatment with either metformin or MCT oil led to a decline in FBG and hepatic enzyme titers whereas GSH concentrations increased. Liver histology find-ings were notable amongst rodents within con-trol, STZ-diabetic and metformin-treated groups. The majority of histological changes were re-solved following therapy with MCT oil. CONCLUSIONS: The anti-diabetic and antiox-idant characteristics of MCT oil have been sub-stantiated by this work. MCT oil led to a rever-sal of the hepatic histological changes seen in STZ-induced diabetes in rats.