Morphological features of parietal cortex and hippocampus neuron of rats following subtotal cerebral ischemia associated with omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids injection

Abstract

Aim of the study was to investigate the morphological features of neurons of the parietal cortex and hippocampus of rats with subtotal cerebral ischemia (SACI) during administration of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (omega-3 PUFA). Materials and methods. The experiments were performed on 24 white outbred male rats. Surgical interventions were carried out under conditions of intravenous thiopental anesthesia (40–50 mg/kg). Acute SACI was modeled by bilateral ligation of the common carotid arteries. The animals of the main group (n = 6, SACI + omega-3 PUFA) received intragastric injections of omega-3 PUFA preparation at a dose of 5 mg/kg body weight prior to ischemia for a week. In the comparison group (n = 6, SACI), the drug was not used; the control (n = 6) was sham operated animals, which were incised without skin ligation. Animals were decapitated after 60 minutes of ischemia. In rats, morphological changes in the neurons of the parietal cortex and the CA1 field of the hippocampus were studied. For morphometric and histochemical studies, animals were quickly removed after decapitation of the brain, pieces of the anterior cortex of the cerebral hemispheres were fixed in Carnoy fluid. Serial paraffin sections were stained with 0.1 % toluidine blue according to the Nissl method. Statistical hypothesis testing was performed using the Kruskal-Wallis ANOVA test. Results and discussion. The morphological and functional disorders in the parietal cortex and hippocampus have been revealed in animals of both experimental groups. The appointment of omega-3 did not significantly affect the size and shape of neurons in both the parietal cortex and the hippocampus. In the hippocampus, the administration of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids resulted in a decrease in the number of hyperchromic shriveled neurons (by 20%) and an increase in hyperchromic neurons by 31 %. The number of shadow cells in this section did not differ from the indices of the control group. In the parietal cortex, no corrective effect was noted. Conclusions. Thus, subtotal cerebral ischemia leads to the development of morphofunctional disorders of the cerebral cortex. Administration of omega-3 had a positive effect on the state of rat hippocampal neurons, reducing the number of degenerative forms of neurons. The data obtained can serve as the basis for the search for new approaches to the treatment of acute ischemic stroke, which is one of the urgent problems of experimental and clinical neurology.

Keywords

• cerebral ischemia
• neocortex
• hippocampus
• neurons
• omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids