Thesis (Ph.D.) - Cairo University - Faculty of Medicine - Department of Histology

Background: Diabetes is a group of metabolic diseases characterized by hyperglycemia resulting from defects in insulin secretion, insulin action, or both. The regeneration of beta cells from embryonic or adult stem cells or pancreatic progenitor cells is an attractive method for diabetic treatment. Hepatic oval cell (HOC) is an intra-hepatic population of bipotent progenitor cells, which have the ability to proliferate and differentiate into both mature hepatocytes and bile duct epithelial cells. Hepatic oval cells are thought to have the potential to transdifferentiate into pancreatic endocrine cells, as both the liver and the pancreas originate from appendages of the upper primitive foregut endoderm. Vitamin K2 is believed to promote liver functional recovery in patients with liver cirrhosis as well as improving insulin sensitivity and glucose tolerance, preventing insulin resistance, and reducing the risk of type 2 diabetes. Aim of the work: To evaluate the histological and immunohistochemical changes in the hepatic and oval cells in the liver of diabetic rats under treatment with vitamin K2

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