Protective Effects of Nigella sativa on the Neuronal Injury in Frontal Cortex and Brain Stem After Chronic Toluene Exposure

Abstract

The goal of this study was designed to evaluate the possible protective effects of Nigella sativa (NS) on the neuronal injury in the frontal cortex and brain stem after chronic toluene exposure in rats. The rats were randomly alotted into one of three experimental groups: A (control), B (toluene treated) and C (toluene treated with NS); each group contain 10 animals. Control group received 1 ml serum physiologic and toluene treatment was performed by inhalation of 3,000 ppm toluene, in a 8 h/day and 6 day/week order for 12 weeks. The rats in NS treated group was given NS (in a dose of 400 mg/kg body weight) once a day orally by using intra gastric intubation for 12 weeks starting just after toluene exposure. Tissue samples were obtained for histopathological investigation. To date, no histopathological changes of neurodegeneration in the frontal cortex and brain stem after chronic toluene exposure in rats by NS treatment have been reported. In this study, chronic toluene exposure caused severe degenerative changes, shrunken cytoplasma, severely dilated cisternae of endoplasmic reticulum, markedly swollen mitochondria with degenerated cristae and nuclear membrane breakdown with chromatin disorganization in neurons of the frontal cortex and brain stem. The nerve cells showing the pathologic changes were almost absent in the NS-treated rats. We conclude that NS therapy causes morphologic improvement on neurodegeneration in frontal cortex and brain stem after chronic toluene exposure in rats. We believe that further preclinical research into the utility of NS may indicate its usefulness as a potential treatment on neurodegeneration after chronic toluene exposure in rats.

Protective effects of thymoquinone on the neuronal injury in frontal cortex after chronic toluene exposure

“…For hippocampus on postnatal day 6, the caspase-3 activity was higher in the toluene group compared to the control group (Ladefoged et al 2004). In this study, likewise, in our previous study (Kanter 2008a), mild caspase-3 immunoreactivity was observed in the cytoplasm of neurons in control rats, whereas the caspase 3 immunopositivity was increased especially in neurons of the frontal cortex and brain stem following toluene exposure. Treatment of TQ markedly reduced the immunoreactivity of degenerating neurons after chronic toluene exposure.…”

“…Recent studies (Kanter 2008a) have attempted to identify the Nigella sativa has some neuroprotective and restorative effects on secondary pathochemical events after frontal cortex and brain stem injury in rats. These restorative effects mainly observed on oxidative stress and neuronal numbers and neuronal morphology.…”

Acute cardiotoxic effects of high dose toluene: an experimental study

“…Toluene has been shown to increase apoptotic activity (24)(25)(26). Past studies have demonstrated that Bax and caspase-3 activity increases in liver tissues damaged by organic solvents (12,25,27). El-Nabi Kamel and Shehata et al (28) reported that caspase-3 activity significantly increased in toluene-exposed tissues.…”

“…One such form of damage, apoptosis is a type of programmed cell death characterized by fragmentation of the DNA, shrinkage of the cytoplasm, membrane changes, and cell death without lysis or damage to neighboring cells (23). Toluene has been shown to increase apoptotic activity (24)(25)(26). Past studies have demonstrated that Bax and caspase-3 activity increases in liver tissues damaged by organic solvents (12,25,27).…”

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“…NS therapy caused a morphologic improvement on neurodegeneration in the hippocampus after chronic toluene exposure in rats 62 . Significant histological improvement was found in the morphology of cerebral cortex and brain stem sections of rats chemically intoxicated with toluene upon using NS treatment 150 . According to these results, NS can widely use in nerves disorders like ischemia, Parkinson and Alzheimer disease, also depression and pain, and for memory enhancement.…”