ABSTRACT
Previous studies have shown morphological changes after intra peritoneal drug administration in human and animals. This study examines the effect of intrapretoneal nicotine administration in pyramidal neurons in area CA1 of hippocampus. The study included male Wistar rats with the mean weight of 220-250 g. Nicotine was administered at the dose of 0.4 and 1.5 mg/kg, each for a period of three days. The animals were then anesthetized using ketamine [70 mg/kg]. After being fixed through transcardiac canula with formalin 4% and bafer phosphate 6, the brains were sectioned and stained using Golgi's staining technique. Using MOTIC software, they were then examined for histological evaluations. Data were analyzed using unpaired t-test. Our results showed a decrease in the size and the number of pyramidal cells in area CA1 of hippocampus for the nicotine group. While the number of dendrites was fewer in experimental group, asteocytes had increased in comparison to the control group. Our study indicates the nicotine administration results in a significant reduction in the size of pyramidal cells in area CA1 of hippocampus