Anatomie et physiologie : recherches en cours
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Alteration of Glial Fibrillary Acidic Protein Immunoreactivity in Astrocytes of the Cerebellum of Diabetic Rats and Potential Effect of Insulin and Ginger

Hagar A Hashish

Background: Diabetes causes increased oxidative stress and changes in vascular reactivity in the brain. Ginger has a wide range of pharmacological properties including anti-inflammatory, anti-microbial, antioxidant, and antitumour effects. Aim of the work: The purpose of this study was to clarify the effect of induced type I diabetes on the cerebellum of albino rat and whether these changes could be prevented by insulin and ginger. Material and methods: Forty albino rats were divided randomly into 4 groups; control non-diabetic rats; untreated diabetic rats; insulin-treated diabetic rats and combined insulin-ginger treated diabetic rats. After 8 weeks of treatment, animals were sacrificed; cerebellum was dissected, processed and stained with H&E and immunohistochemistry for Glial Fibrillary Acidic Protein (GFAP). Results: Diabetes caused decrease in the body and cerebellum weights, degeneration of Purkinje cells and decreased expression of GFAP in the astrocytes. Treatment with insulin and ginger decreased the blood glucose level, prevented the loss of body and cerebellar weights and protected the cerebellum against diabetic induced changes. Insulin-ginger treatment prevented the changes of Purkinje cells and increased the expression of GFAP. The combined effect of both insulin and ginger increased the GFAP expression more than each of them separately. Conclusion: The current results suggested that consumption of ginger together with insulin protected purkinji and glial cells against diabetic induced changes and improved GFAP expression. Thus, ginger could attenuate the neurodegeneration observed in the cerebellum of diabetic rats.