Introduction: Several studies have revealed that Nigella sativa (NS) has anti-diabetic potential. Moreover, bone marrow-derived mononuclear cells (BMMNCs) have already been employed effectively as a form of regenerative therapy in different organs and tissue disorders.
Aim of the work: to study the effect of BMMNCs versus NS oil on jejunal alterations in diabetic rats.
Methods: Forty nine adult male albino rats were divided into Control (I,II,III), diabetic, diabetic+BMMNCs, diabetic+Nigella sativa oil (NSO), and diabetic+insulin groups. All the tested animals were put under anaesthesia and sacrificed at the end of the experiment. Ten centimetres segment of jejunum was obtained, and half of the length of each specimen was prepared for light microscopic assessment. The other half was prepared for scanning electron microscopic examination. The findings were recorded, and statistically assessed.
Results: Diabetic plus BMMNCs group showed partial improvement in restoring almost the regular appearance of the mucosa, where most of the villi were hypertrophied with epithelium shedding. The myenteric plexus revealed a mildly increased count of nerve cells, enteric glial cells, and unmyelinated nerve fibres. The Diabetic plus NSO-treated group showed slight improvement in architecture of the villi. The Diabetic plus an insulin-treated group restored the jejunum normal architecture with different layers' normal thickness. The myenteric plexus restored its nerve cells, enteric glial cells, and nerve fibres.
Conclusion: Nigella sativa oil induces more improvement in diabetes-induced intestinal derangement as evidenced histologically and morphometrically following the diabetic plus insulin, while BMMNCs showed the least intestinal improvement in the diabetic rats.