Endocrine Abstracts

The hippocampus is majorly involved in memory formation. The insulin pathway regulates the level of GSK-3β, which is involved in the formation of amyloid beta and Tau. Allium sativumhas been shown to reduce amyloidogenesis and increase brain insulin sensitivity. 32 male Wistar rats were used in this experiment. They were grouped into 4, each with 8 rats. Group A (Sham), B (3 mg/kg of streptozotocin), group C (3 mg/kg of streptozotocin +300 mg/kg of Allium sativim L.), group D (300 mg/kg of Allium sativum L.). Treatment lasted 2 days. Neurobehavioral tests carried out were elevated plus maze and Y maze. The animals were sacrificed by cervical dislocation. Basic demonstration of the hippocampus was done using H&E stain and Cresyl Fast Violet special stains. RNA gene expression of insulin, insulin receptor substrate, BACE-1 and GSK-3B was checked. Groups A and B showed more exploratory activity when compared to the other groups. The photomicrographs analysed showed evidence of pyknosis and vacuolation in groups B and C, with group C usually showing less evidence of these attributes. A reduced expression of Nissl bodies was seen in groups B and C, with group C having a higher expression than group B. More amyloid beta proteins were seen in groups B and C, with group B having a higher number of this specific protein. The study concludes that Allium sativum L.was able to reduce the effects of Streptozotocin on the hippocampus, and also reduce amyloidogenesis. This research recommends that more research work should be carried out to check for the effect of graded doses of Allium sativum L. on the hippocampus after an intracerebroventricuar administration of streptozotocin.