The effect of ethanol and Khat (Catha edulis Forsk) on the cerebral cortex of early postnatal rats

Rats of post natal day 6 were treated with ethanol, khat or vehicle for 30 days using blunt needle. At the end of the experiment, animals were scarified, their brains were dissected out and immersion fixed. The brain as a whole and cerebellum, separately were weighed, and cerebellum was processed for routine histology. Samples of serially sectioned tissues of cerebellum were stained with toluidine blue and observed using light microscope. At the end of the experimental period the body weight increment was found to be significantly less in the ethanol and khat treated (ET and KT) rats than their respective controls by 18.05% and 21.75%, respectively (P< 0.01). Between the treated rats, body weight increment was less for the ET rats by 4.51% than the KT rats, although it was not statistically significant (P>0.05). Similarly, the weight of the brain as a whole and cerebellar weight separately of the treated rats were significantly less than their respective controls (P<0.01). These weights were also less for the ET rats than for the KT rats, although not statistically significant. The mean diameter of Purkinje neurons was found to be less in the ethanol treated and khat treated rats than their respective controls by 28.66% and 11.44%, respectively (P<0.01). Moreover the attempt to study the effect of combination of ethanol and khat treatment was interrupted because the rats died after two days, and such combined consumption of these substances at this age was found to be fatal. In conclusion, the study depicted that PND 6 is an extremely vulnerable period to the exposure of high concentration of ethanol and khat, which result in morphological change of cerebellar cortex and reduction in diameter of Purkinje neurons of cerebellum.