Abstract
AIM: The histomophometric study of Fructus Psoralea (FP) on ethanol induced neurodegeneration of hippocampus was investigated in a rat by using micrometry. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The study was conducted on thirty healthy female adult wistar albino rats with regular 4-day estrus cycles. The experiment was carried out for a period of 2-4 months. The rats were divided into- SHAM operated control group (Group I) and experimental groups - overiectomised vehicle control rat ((Group II), OVX and orally treated with FP(Group III) OVX and induced with ethanol (Group IV), OVX rats induced with ethnaol and orally treated with FP (Group V). ANOVA tool was used to test the mean positive behavioural activity of all the groups. The diameter, packing density and the total number of neurons were calculated from toluidine blue stained histological section by using micrometry. The statistical package SPSS (17.0 VERSION) was used. Statistical significance was defined as p < 0.05. Data was expressed as mean ± SEM. DISCUSSION: In animal studies, ethanol was found to significantly inhibit neuronal activity in the CA1 and CA3 pyramidal cell layers of the hippocampus. FP increase the number of cholinergic neurons in the basal forebrain which in turn leads to increased function of hippocampus, a structure heavily implicated in behavioural activity and memory consolidation. CONCLUSION: People with extensive hippocampal damage may experience amnesia, learning and memory disabilities. Hence the herb FP may be used as an adjuvant to treat the above neurological disorders.