Evaluation of the effect of barberry hydroalcoholic extract on histomorphological changes in the prefrontal cortex of male rats in the ischemia / reperfusion model

Cerebral ischemia is a major global problem that can lead to the loss of cortical pyramidal cells following ischemic / reperfusion injury. Recent studies have examined the neuroprotective role of barberry hydroalcoholic extract in acute ischemia.

This study was performed experimentally on 18 male Wistar rats. Rats were divided into 3 groups of control ، ischemic and experimental. The ischemic model was performed by bilateral ligation of the common carotid arteries for 20 minutes and then blood was restored. In the experimental group, barberry hydroalcoholic extract was injected intraperitoneally for 7 days before ischemia. After 4 days of ischemia, the rat’s brains were removed and stained by applying chrysalis fast violet method. The number of pyramidal cells of the prefrontal cortex of all three groups was counted by Imaging-Pro-Plus software. Then, statistical analysis of the data was performed by one-way ANOVA and Tukey test.

The results showed that 20 minutes of ischemia significantly reduced the number of pyramidal cells in the cerebral cortex, so that there was a significant difference in the number of these cells between the ischemic group and the control and experimental groups. However, this difference between the control group and the experimental group was not significant.

This study reveals that hydro alcoholic extract of barberry has a neurotropic effect on the pyramidal cells of the prefrontal cortex and can be considered as a new candidate for treating of ischemic brain injuries.