Effect of Energy Drink on the Pancreas of Adult Male Albino Rat and the Possible Protective Role of Avocado Oil. Histological and Immunohistochemical Study

Introduction: Energy drinks are widely used among youth as boosters to increase their concentration. Many Health disorders associated with energy drinks have been reported. Avocado oil is a natural oil extracted from avocado fruit and possess an antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects. Aim of the work: This work was conducted to investigate the effect of energy drink on the histological structure of the pancreas of adult male albino rat and to evaluate the possible protective role of avocado oil.Materials and Methods: Forty adult male albino rats were divided equally into 4 groups; control group, avocado oil-treated group (0.4 mg/100 gm body weight), energy drink-treated group (1.5 mg/100 gm body weight) and both avocado oil and energy drink treated group. All animals were orally administrated once daily for 4 weeks. Pancreatic specimens were processed for light and electron microscopy. Immunohistochemical study was performed using insulin and caspase-3 antibodies. Results: Energy drink-treated group revealed focal disturbed architecture of the exocrine and endocrine parts of pancreas. The exocrine pancreas appeared with cytoplasmic vacuolations and deeply stained nuclei of the acinar cells in addition to congested blood vessels. Ultrastructural examination revealed both acinar and islet cells with cytoplasmic vacuolations, swollen mitochondria with disrupted cristae, dilated rough endoplasmic reticulum in addition to shrunken condensed nuclei with dilated perinuclear cisternae. The immunohistochemical study showed a significant decrease in the insulin immunoreaction of β cells associated with a significant increase in caspase-3 immunoreaction in acinar and islet cells. In contrast, minimal changes were observed in rats treated concomitantly with avocado oil and energy drink with a non-significant change in the immunohistochemical reaction. Conclusion: Energy drink induced structural changes in the pancreas of rats and the concomitant intake of avocado oil could to some extent ameliorate such changes