Effect of different doses of aluminum chloride on neurodegeneration in hippocampus region of the rat brain

Introduction: Aluminum (AL) compounds are widely used as food additives, cosmetics, antacids, and buffered aspirins. Chronic consumption of AL may lead to its accumulation in tissues causing AL toxicity. The study aims to investigate the toxic effect of AlCl3 on hippocampus region of rat brain by qualitative and quantitative analysis of neurons. Material and Methods: Adult male albino Wistar rats were divided into three groups with six rats in each group. Group 1 was the control, Group 2 rats received 100 mg/kg b. w, and Group 3 received 300 mg/kg b. w of AlCl3 orally for 30 days. The neuronal count was done at the CA1, CA2, CA3, and CA4 regions of hippocampus by staining with cresyl violet stain. Neuronal damage in the AlCl3 groups was compared with the control group. Results: A significant damage was observed in all the regions of hippocampus both in Groups 2 and 3 compared to the control group (P < 0.00001). Further higher dose of AL caused marked neuronal damage in CA1 (P < 0.03) and CA3 (P < 0.05) regions compared to the lower dose of AL. The neurons in the CA3 and CA1 regions were most vulnerable to AL toxicity and the CA2 region of the hippocampus had a maximum number of viable neurons indicative of resistance to AL toxicosis. Discussion and Conclusion: Consumption of higher dose of AL even for a short term could have variable degrees of deleterious effects on different regions of the rat brain. This study sets a background for an in-depth exploration on toxicology of AL compounds on human participants which could be of public health importance.