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Neuroprotective Effect
of Grape Seed Extract against the Histopathological Changes of the
Cerebral Cortex of Adult Albino Rats Induced By Aluminum Chloride
Amal M. Halawa &
Manal I. El-Bermawy
Department of Anatomy, Faculty of Medicine, Tanta University, Egypt
Tanta Med. Sc. J 2008; 3(2):24-46
Article type: Original article
Background/Aim: Aluminum (Al.) is a neurotoxic metal and its
exposure may be a factor in the etiology of various
neurodegenerative diseases. Recently, a great awareness about the
role of Al. in Alzheimer's disease (AD), which demonstrated
increasing prevalence of AD in areas with relatively high content of
Al. in drinking water. This experimental study tried to identify the
histopathological changes induced by aluminum chloride and the
possible protective role of grape seed extract against its
neurotoxicity using histological and immuno-histochemical study.
Material & Methods: In this study, 35 adult albino rats were used.
The rats were divided into two main groups; control and experimental
groups. 9 rats were used as a control group (group I). The
experimental group (group II); consisted of 26 rats, which were
equally subdivided into 2 subgroups; Subgroup (IIa); each animal
received aluminum chloride 100mg/kg.b.wt/day orally for 9 weeks &
Subgroup (IIb); each animal received the same dose of aluminum
chloride with concomitant administration of 50mg/kg.b.wt./day grape
seed extract orally for 9 weeks. Specimens of the cerebral cortex of
the control and experimental groups were taken and prepared for
histological and immuno-histochemical examinations. Results: The
differently stained sections of the subgroup (IIa) revealed that
aluminum chloride induced obvious neuronal damage, where the
cortical layers appeared disorganized. The most characteristic
pathological feature was the necrosis of the pyramidal cells and
appearance of neurofibrillary tangles in their cytoplasm with
disappearance of the glutathione reductase enzyme from the cytoplasm
of the damaged neurons. The neuropil appeared edematous with dilated
blood capillaries containing amyloid collection. On the other hand,
addition of grape seed extract in subgroup (IIb) alleviates the
deleterious effects of aluminum chloride, where the cortical layers
appeared organized with apparently normal blood capillaries. Many
pyramidal cells appeared normal with central nuclei and basophilic
cytoplasm. However, the neuropil appeared edematous. The
immuno-histochemical stain showed reappearance of the +ve reaction
to the glutathione reductase enzyme. Conclusion: This experimental
study tried to hypothesize that aluminum chloride administration
induces histopathological changes, which might be involved in the
pathogenesis of AD. It also identified the protective role of grape
seed extract against the Al-induced neurotoxicity. |