Anti-Diabetic and Anti-Inflammatory Effects of Caffeic Acid on the Seminal Vesicles and Penile Tissues of Diabetic Wistar Rats

Background: Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a chronic metabolic disorder that constitutes a significant public health problem worldwide. Caffeic acid (CA) is reported to possess potent antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects. This study aimed to investigate the effect of CA as a possible treatment of histopathological alterations of the penis and seminal vesicle in Fructose/Streptozotocin-induced diabetic Wistar rats. Methods: Twenty (20) normoglycemic male adult Wistar rats weighing roughly 200g were used for this study. They were randomly divided into 4 groups: Control, which was given 0.1M citrate buffer daily, FRUCTOSE/STZ, which was given a single intraperitoneal injection of 50mg/Kg STZ following 2 weeks of 10% fructose ad libitum, FRUCTOSE/STZ+CA, which were also administered the same as the aforementioned group and treated with 50mg/Kg of Caffeic acid daily and CA group which was treated with 50mg/Kg of Caffeic acid also daily. Results: The biochemical evaluation showed increased upregulation of NO and anti-inflammatory markers (Interleukin-4 and Interleukin-10) in the FRUCTOSE/STZ+CA compared to the FRUCTOSE/STZ. The penile tissues of FRUCTOSE/STZ diabetic rats showed sparse muscle layers and irregularly arranged thickened collagen fibres. The seminal vesicles of the diabetic control groups also featured disruption of the smooth muscle layer and enlarged lumina with scanty dispositions of fluid. Treatment with CA produced histological findings that were similar to the control group. Conclusion: We conclude that CA ameliorated FRUCTOSE/STZ diabetic histopathology in rats' penis and seminal vesicles by boosting anti-inflammatory cytokines.