[Effect of citalopram and vitamin E on pyramidal neurons of the hippocampus in depressed rats]

ABSTRACT

Depression is one of the most common mental disorders, which its effective treatment maintains an acceptable level of performance in patients. Vitamin E as an antioxidant protects cells against damage. This study was conducted with the objective of investigating the effect of citalopram and Vitamin E on the hippocampal neurons in female depressed rats. In the present study, 30 female rats with the mean weight of 200 +/- 20g were divided into five 6-rat groups. The groups included 1- group C [Non-depressed control], 2- group D [depressed controls that were treated with normal food and water], 3- group DS [received citalopram at a dose of 30mg/kg/bw], 4- group DE [received Vitamin E at a dose of 100 mg/kg/bw], 5- group DES [received a combination of Vitamin E and citalopram]. One month after treatment, all the rats were euthanized by easy killing method. Then brain and hippocampus were removed and after fixation in formalin, the tissue sections were prepared. After staining with hematoxylin and eosin by light microscopy, hippocampal tissue was studied. To induce depression, rats were placed in absolute darkness for 2 months. Data were analysed using one-way analisis of varience and Tukey's test. Significance level was considered to be 0.05. About 40 and 50 percent of the neurons of CA1 and DG region were had neuronal necrosis in depressed rats. The results of the present study showed that citalopram and Vitamin E have a protective effect against hippocampal neurons in the depressed animals.