The aim of this work was to study the effect of the ascorbic acid on the myenteric neurons of diabetic rats proximal colon. Fifteen rats (90 days old) were divided into three groups: control, untreated diabetic and treated diabetic with ascorbic acid (DA). After 120 days of daily treatment with ascorbic acid, the intestinal segments were submitted to the NADH-diaphorase (NADHd) histochemistry technique to expose the myenteric neurons. The group DA showed a higher neuronal density (33.4 %) when compared to the untreated diabetic animals (p < 0.05). Cellular body area of neurons was significantly larger in group DA (17.3 %) when compared to the untreated diabetics (p < 0.05). It could be concluded that the ascorbic acid promoted a neuroprotective effect on the NADHd myenteric neurons of the proximal colon of diabetic rats.
Ascorbic acid; colon; diabetes; myenteric neurons
