Vitamin E as an Antioxidant Reduces Apoptosis of Cells in Rat Hippocampus Following Exposure to Polyvinyl Chloride

Many studies have shown that polyvinyl chloride (PVC) has toxic effects on the body and brain. Vitamin E is a nutritional supplement that acts as an antioxidant, scavenging toxic free radicals. The aim of this study was to examine the protective effects of vitamin E against PVC-induced damages in rat hippocampus. In this study, 24 male Wistar rats were randomly divided to four groups (n = 6), including control, vitamin E (150 mg/kg.bw/day), PVC (1000 mg/kg.bw/day), PVC + vitamin E. The administration routes were oral and the experiment period was 40 days. At the end of the examination, rats were euthanized and the brain was removed and the left hippocampus was transferred to 10% formalin for H-E staining, TUNNEL, and crystal violet. Data were analyzed by SPSS 24 software and Tukey’s test. The present results showed that oral administration of PVC was associated with an increase in apoptosis in the hippocampus. vitamin E led to suppression of apoptosis in the hippocampus of rats. Exposure to PVC can cause hippocampus damage, while vitamin E, as an antioxidant, may reduce the destructive effects of PVC in rat hippocampus.