COMPARATIVE CHARACTERISTICS OF THE EFFECT OF ALPHA-LIPOIC ACID AND SODIUM AMINOPHTHALHYDROXIDE ON HEMATOLOGICAL PARAMETERS OF OLD RATS WITH EXPERIMENTAL DIABETES MELLITUS

AbstractIntroduction. The elderly are a high-risk group for the development of diabetes mellitus (DM). Both aging and DM can influence hematological parameters, reflecting key physiological and pathological processes. The additive effect of aging and diabetes may exacerbate alterations in complete blood count parameters, leading to more pronounced hematological changes and an increased risk of complications. To mitigate pathological processes associated with DM, antioxidants and anti-inflammatory drugs are widely utilized. However, the effects of certain compounds, such as alpha-lipoic acid (ALA) and sodium aminodihydrophthalazinedione (APG), on blood parameters remain insufficiently investigated. The aim of this study was to evaluate and compare the effects of ALA and APG on biochemical and hematological parameters in aged rats with alloxan-induced DM. Materials and Methods. The study was conducted on 35 male Wistar rats, which were divided into five groups: 1 – young (5 months) intact animals, 2 – aged (18 months) intact animals, 3 – aged rats with DM, 4 – aged rats with DM treated with ALA, 5 – aged rats with DM treated with APG. Diabetes was induced by intraperitoneal administration of alloxan. ALA was administered intramuscularly to diabetic animals at a dose of 4 mg/100 g of body weight every other day for 30 days. APG was administered intramuscularly at a dose of 2 mg/100 g of body weight according to the following regimen: daily for 10 days, every other day for the next 5 days, and every third day for the remaining 15 days. On day 60, blood samples were collected to assess glycemic levels and hematological parameters. Results. Biochemical analysis revealed that both ALA and APG administration similarly corrected metabolic disturbances in diabetic rats, significantly reducing blood glucose levels. Hematological analysis showed an age-associated increase in red blood cell distribution width. Administration of ALA led to an increase in mean corpuscular volume and mean corpuscular hemoglobin, but a decrease in mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration. In contrast, APG significantly increased red blood cell count, hemoglobin concentration, and hematocrit. Both agents significantly reduced the relative lymphocyte count and increased the relative granulocyte count. ALA and APG also reduced total platelet count, mean platelet volume, and platelet distribution width, while increasing plateletcrit. Conclusions. Administration of both ALA and APG alleviated hyperglycemia in rats with alloxan-induced diabetes by lowering blood glucose levels. Both compounds exerted similar effects on white blood cell and platelet parameters, however, they differed in their corrective effects on red blood cell indices in diabetic rats.