Introduction Cement industry generates dust during its production. The main route of entry of cement dust particles in the body is the respiratory tract and / or the gastrointestinal tract by inhalation or swallowing, producing both respiratory and non-respiratory systems involvement. Content of Portland cement is a mixture of elements that include iron and silicon. Yet, there is a lack of the studies concerned with the effects of cement on different organs in humans or animals.  Therefore, the aim of the present study was to investigate the effect of two of cement components (silicon and iron) on brain tissues and the possible protective effect of omega-3.
Material and methods fifty male adult albino rats were divided into three groups; Group I (control group), Group II (treated group) that was subdivided into three subgroups; subgroup IIa, received iron as ferrous chloride, subgroup IIb, received silicon as sodium silicate and subgroup IIc, received both elements orally for two months and Group III (protected group) received iron and silicon, simultaneously with omega- 3. Energy Dispersive X-ray Spectrometry (EDX) analysis was done. Frontal cerebral & cerebellar cortices were subjected for biochemical oxidative assay. Histological study and immunohistochemical staining for Glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) were performed as well as morphometric study.
Results cerebral & cerebellar cortices of treated rats (subgroup IIc) showed peaks for iron and silicon. The profile of oxidative stress markers, in group (II), revealed significantly decreased antioxidant enzymes activity, superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT), while malondialdehyde (MDA) level increased significantly as compared with control group. Histological findings of cerebral and cerebellar cortices revealed different degrees of degenerated nerve cells, tissue vacuolation, and degenerated neuropil in group II. Immunohistochemial results showed marked proliferation of astrocytes.  The co-administration of omega-3 (group III) showed significant increase of both SOD and CAT activities and significant decrease of MDA. Marked preservation of cerebral and cerebellar cortical tissues was noticed. Conclusion The present work revealed the hazardous effect of cement component (iron and silicon) on cerebral & cerebellar cortices of albino rats. The role of protective effect of omega-3 might find a clinical application against the hazardous effect among the exposed workers. Further studies are needed to magnitude the problem on health.