Abstract
Background: A controversy developed between the benefits of energy drinks versus the possible health threats since its revolution. Lack of information was a call to assess the effect of chronic consumption of Red Bull (RB) as one of the energy drinks, on the structure of the pancreas.
Aim of the Work: To evaluate the effect of Energy drinks (Red Bull) on rat pancreas and ability of rat pancreas to recover from effects of Red Bull.
Methods: Thirty adult male albino rats divided into three groups, control, treated and recovered. Treated group was received 7.5 ml of RB by oral gavage daily for 4weeks. Recovered group was left to recover for 15 days without any additional treatment. The rats will be anaesthetized and sacrificed. Pancreas prepared for light microscopic examination and tissue homogenate.
Results: Red Bull (RB) induced pancreatic injury in the rats evidenced by histopathological alterations like, distorted pancreatic acini with vacuolated cytoplasm and vacuolated islets of Langerhans. Furthermore, RB administration caused oxidative damage by decreasing in reduced glutathione (GSH) and superoxide dismutase (SOD) levels in the pancreatic tissue. Stoppage of RB exposure resulted in amelioration in the histological alterations as compared with the RB treated rats.
Conclusion and recommendation: RB produces degenerative changes in the pancreas and causes oxidative stress. Stoppage of RB exposure results in some restoration of the normal histological structure of the pancreas. So, it is recommended to stop the usage of RB.
Keywords: Pancreas, Energy drinks, Red Bull, GSH, SOD.