Immunohistochemical studies of the Upregulation of BCL-2 and Downregulation of Bax in the Hippocampus of STZ-induced Type 1 Diabetic Rats Co-administered Melatonin and Magnesium

¹Department of Human Anatomy, Faculty of Basic Medical Sciences, College of Medical Sciences, Rivers State University, Port Harcourt, Nigeria
²Department of Human Anatomy, Faculty of Basic Medical Sciences, Ahmadu Bello University Zaria
³Department of veterinary Pathology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria
⁴Department of Pathology, Faculty of Basic Clinical Sciences, Ahmadu Bello University Zaria

Corresponding Author  
Elvis Tams Godam, Department of Human Anatomy, Faculty of Basic Medical Sciences, College of Medical Sciences, Rivers State University, Port Harcourt, Nigeria, E-mail: [email protected]; Tel: +234-806-333-9602.
Received Date: June 25, 2020
Published Date: August 20, 2020
Copyright: Godam ET, et al. ©2020.
Citation: Godam ET. (2020). Immunohistochemical studies of the Upregulation of BCL-2 and Downregulation of Bax in the Hippocampus of STZ-induced Type 1 Diabetic Rats Co-administered Melatonin and Magnesium. Mathews J Cytol Histol. (4)1:14. 

ABSTRACT

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of co-administration of melatonin and magnesium on BCL-2 and Bax expression in the Hippocampus of streptozotocin-induced Type 1 diabetic Wistar rats. To achieve this aim sixty-four Wistar rats were used in the study. Streptozotocin (STZ) was used to induce chemical type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) after two weeks acclimatization period in fifty-eight Wistar rats. Fifty-three rats were diabetic and fourty-eight diabetic rats were randomly distributed in eight groups and six normal normoglycaemic rats were used as control.  The animals were  assigned into nine groups as follows, Normal control group (NC), Diabetic control (DC) group, Melatonin Low dose group of 10 mg/kgb (MLD), Magnesium low dose group of 240 mg/kgbw (MgLD), Melatonin and magnesium combined low dose group of 10mg/kgbw + 240mg/kgbw (MMgLD), Melatonin high dose group of 20mg/kgbw (MHD), Magnesium high dose group of 480mg/kgbw (MgHD), Melatonin and magnesium high dose combined group of 20mg/kgbw + 480mg/kgbw (MMgHD) and Insulin at 500mg/kgbw group (IN). Melatonin and insulin were administered through intraperitoneal injections (IP) while magnesium was by oral administration. The control groups were given placebo and all group treatment was for twenty-one days. At the end of the study, the animals were aestheticized and euthanized to harvest the brain organ. The harvested organs were weighed and their relative weight recorded. They were fixed in neutral buffered formaldehyde (NBF). The Brain tissues were evaluated using BCL-2 mouse polyclonal antibodies to evaluate the level of neuroprotection of hippocampal neurocytes by melatonin and magnesium co-administration. The immunohistochemical test showed that melatonin and magnesium co-administration at low doses increased neuroprotection of hippocampal neurocytes by upregulation of BCL-2 protein and down regulation of Bax proteins.

Keywords: BCL-2; Bax; Diabetes; Neuroprotection; Melatonin; Magnesium