Abstract

IMMUNOHISTOCHEMICAL EFFECTS IN CEREBELLAR CORTEX FOLLOWING CHRONIC SIMULTANEOUS ADMINISTRATION OF ETHANOL AND ACETAMINOPHEN IN ADULT WISTAR RATS (RATTUS NORVEGICUS)

Fakunle P. B.* and Adenowo T. K.

ABSTRACT

Ethanol is consumed as a social drug while acetaminophen is a drug regarded as a pain reliever with potent antipyretic action. Since both drugs are often consumed even to a point of abuse, this study investigated some of their effects on the cerebellar cortex when both drugs were consumed chronically and simultaneously. Eighty (80) healthy wistar rats of average weight 170±9.23g were housed under standard laboratory conditions for an acclimatization period of four weeks and thereafter randomly distributed into four groups of treatments T1,T2T3 and control group C (n=20) . For a period of six weeks, animals in group T1 (n=20) received 100mg/Kg. body weight of acetaminophen and 25% ethanol in 2% sucrose solution while group T2 (n=20) animals received only 25% ethanol in 2% sucrose solution. T3 (n=20) animals were orally given 100mg/Kg.body weight of acetaminophen only and group C (n=20) animals were given only 2% sucrose solution. The animals were sacrificed by cervical dislocation and the cerebellar specimens were dissected and processed for immunohistochemical appraisals. Recorded was significantly decreased body weight (p ≤0.05) in groups T1 & T2 of (138.7 ± 6.63 & 144.8 ± 14.53)g respectively compared to control group with (213.3 ± 5.59)g while insignificant (p ≥ 0.05) increase in body weight was seen in group T3 with (209.6 ± 10.20)g compared to the control. Observed were distorted Purkinje cells with some interrupted axons and sparse distribution of glial cells in treatment groups T1 and T2 although less pronounced in (T2) compared to (T1) while treatment group T3 showed onset of neuronal damage although the cytoarchitectural presentation appeared normal compared to the control. Areas of reactive astrogliosis were more prominent within treatment groups T1 and T2 and thus demonstrating highly stained GFAP-positive immunoreactive astrocytes with heavy fibrillary processes, while the astroglia were less expressed in T3 and scanty in control group. These findings thus underlined the fact that long term simultaneous intake of ethanol and acetaminophen had deleterious effects on the cerebellar cortex in wistar rats and may consequently have dysfunctional implications in both man and animal models.

Keywords: Ethanol, Acetaminophen, Cerebellar cortex, Purkinje neurons, Astrocytes.