The impacts of vitamin D on non-alcoholic fatty pancreatic disease in experimental metabolic syndrome model

Fatty pancreas, or non-alcoholic fatty pancreatic disease (NAFPD), is the excessive fat infiltration of the pancreas due to obesity in the absence of alcohol consumption. This study aimed to investigate the effects of vitamin D (VitD) administration on the onset and progression of NAFPD, and the resulting oxidative stress damage in a metabolic syndrome model induced by a high-fat, high-fructose diet. Twenty-eight male Sprague Dawley rats were randomly assigned to four groups: Control (SK), Metabolic Syndrome (MS), Metabolic Syndrome (MSD) treated with Vitamin D, and Control (SKD) treated with Vitamin D. The MS groups received a high-fat, high-fructose diet for 15 weeks to induce Metabolic Syndrome. The Vitamin D-treated groups received oral supplementation at 170 IU/week for 12 weeks. Fasting blood glucose, body weight, waist circumference, and daily food and water consumption were recorded for all groups. Histological evaluations of pancreatic tissues obtained at the end of the experiment were performed using Hematoxylin-Eosin, Prussian Blue, and Masson Trichrome staining methods. Pancreatic expression of insulin, glucagon, somatostatin, Pdx1, α-SMA, VDR, γH2AX, p-Nrf2, GPX4, and Ki67 was assessed using immunohistochemistry. Statistical analyses were applied to data obtained.