Aim: The current study evaluates the important role of Nigella Sativa against cadmium (Cd) induced toxic changes in pancreas
of rats.
Materials and Methods: Eighteen adult Wistar albino rats were divided into three equal groups. Control group, cadmium
treated group that received 5 mg CdCl2/kg BW/day dissolved in water orally for three months, and cadmium with Nigella
sativa (NS) group received a mixture of 1g/kg/day of aqueous suspension of Nigella sativa seeds powder and 5 mg
CdCl2/kg BW/day dissolved in water for three consecutive months. Hormonal assay of insulin was done. Pancreatic tissues
were prepared for both Hematoxylin and Eosin and toluidine blue. Electron microscopic study of pancreatic tissues was also
done.
Results: The present study showed that the administration of CdCl2 induced evident decrease in insulin serum level. The
biochemical results were confirmed by histological investigations where degenerative changes of pancreatic acini with loss
of normal lobular architecture, distorted pancreatic acini, degenerated and widely separated cells in the islets of Langerhans,
blood vessels congestion and aggregation of perivascular cellular infiltrates were detected in pancreatic tissues stained with
H&E. Toluidine blue-stained sections showed few deeply stained apical zymogen granules in some acini, whereas other acini
showed absence of these granules.
Administration of NS with CdCl2 showed a significant improvement in the measured serum insulin level and histological
pictures.
Conclusion: CdCl2 induced several toxic changes in the exocrine and endocrine parts of pancreas of rats. NS could protect the
pancreas against these alterations.