EFFECTS OF GARLIC (ALLIUM SATIVUM) EXTRACT ON PREFRONTAL CORTEX HISTOLOGY IN ALLOXAN-INDUCED HYPERGLYCEMIA RATS
Abstract
ABSTRACT
Diabetes mellitus is an important cause of morbidity and mortality in many countries including Nigeria. Herbal medicines have several advantages such as fewer side effects, less expensive and well accepted. The present study evaluates the effects of garlic (Allium sativum) extract on prefrontal cortex histology in alloxan-induced hyperglycemic rats. Twenty (24) adult male wistar rats were divided into 3 groups of 8 rats in each group. Group A received distilled water and served as control group, while Group B received alloxan and Group C received 200 mg/kg of garlic extract for a duration of 21 days. Hyperglycemia is induced by use of intraperitoneal injection of Alloxan. The body weight of the wistar rats were recorded and histological analysis were done. At the end of the experiment, the animals were sacrificed by cervical dislocation. The prefrontal cortex were carefully dissected out and quickly fixed in 10 % formal saline and subsequently processed for histological observation using the Haematoxylin and Eosin staining principle. Alloxan treatment significantly (P ≤ 0.05) decreased the body weight of the rat. The prefrontal cortex of the control rat is filled with well stained neuronal cells, with no apparent alterations in histoarchitecture. The prefrontal cortex of rats exposed to alloxan showed signs of degenerative changes in the neurons and numerous cellular degenerations, as indicated by poorly stained nuclei, cytoplasmic vacuolation, irregular shapes of some neuroglial cells, and pyknotic nuclei in some cells. The prefrontal cortex of rats exposed to alloxan and garlic extract showed a proper and normal layout of cortical neuronal cells from the outermost molecular layer to the innermost multiform layer, and also showed several normal neuronal cells exhibited cytoplasmic vacuolation, and the stroma appeared normal. The histological analysis of the prefrontal cortex in this study demonstrates the potential protective effects of garlic (Allium sativum) extract against alloxan-induced neuronal damage. The present findings may support the therapeutic effects of garlic (Allium sativum) as complementary treatments in hyperglycemia.
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