The effect of pioglitazone on non-pregnant female genital tract in experimental diabetes mellitus.

UNLABELLED The effects of pioglitazone, a very used drug in the treatment of non-insulin dependent diabetes mellitus, were tested at the level of ovary of non-pregnant female rats. MATERIAL AND METHODS The experiment was performed on three groups of adult non-pregnant female rats. group 1 was a control group (and did not receive any substance), group 2 received streptozotocin 60 mg/kg i.p. (single administration), and group 3 received streptozotocin 60 mg/kg i.p. (single administration) and pioglitazone 5 mg/kg/day p.o., daily for 8 weeks. The plasma glucose, cholesterol and triglyceride levels were determined before drugs administration and during the experiment. After 8 weeks the animals were anesthetized and sacrificed. The ovaries were examined by optical microscopy. A morphometric evaluation was performed. The obtained data were statistically interpreted by ANOVA test. RESULTS After 8 weeks of treatment the plasma glucose and triglyceride levels were significantly lower in the pioglitazone treated group compared to the streptozotocin only group. In the pioglitazone group the number of primordial and primary ovarian follicles was significantly higher than in streptozotocin only group. CONCLUSIONS The results showed a partial protective action of pioglitazone on ovary in nonpregnant diabetic female rats.