Introduction: Carbimazole is used in the treatment of hyperthyroidism. Parsley is a common herb used in various types of industries such as food, cosmetics, and pharmaceuticals.
Aim of the Work: The current experiment is aimed to assess the harmful effect of carbimazole on the exocrine part of the pancreas of adult male albino rats and to analyze the protective role of parsley extract.
Material and Methods: Twenty-eight rats were used and divided equally into control group, parsley group that was administered 1 ml of parsley extract /150 g/day for 8 weeks, carbimazole group that was treated with 1.35 mg of carbimazole/Kg/day for 8 weeks, and carbimazole and parsley extract-treated group that received both carbimazole and parsley extract in the same doses and durations as the previous groups. The pancreatic specimens were dissected out and prepared for light and electron microscopic examination.
Results: Carbimazole induced clear histopathological alterations in the rat pancreas compared to the control group. There was degeneration in the epithelial cells of pancreatic acini with cytoplasmic vacuolation and a marked decrease in apical acidophilia. Widening in the intercellular space with mononuclear cellular infiltration and blood vessel congestion were also noticed. Morphological analysis showed a significant increase in collagen fibers in-between the pancreatic acini, around the blood vessels, and the interlobular ducts. Ultrastructure analysis also revealed dilatation in the rough endoplasmic reticulum, ballooning mitochondria with disturbed cristae as well as less electron-dense secretory granules. However, carbimazole and parsley extract co-treated showed major improvement in the histology and ultrastructure of pancreatic tissue.
Conclusion: The results verified the protective role of parsley against the toxic effect of carbimazole which could belong to the antioxidant properties of parsley.