Introduction: Cerebellum is a part of the brain which has about a half of the total number of neurons within the CNS. Acrylamide (ACR) is a chemical compound that is produced naturally in food as a result of high-temperature cooking. It is a potent neurotoxin. Selenium (Se) is an essential element to the good brain function.
Aim of the Work: To evaluate the effect of ACR and the possible protective role of Se on the cerebellum of male albino rats.
Material and Methods: A total number of 40 male albino rats weighing 250 gm, aging 6 months were used in the study. They were divided into 4 main groups (10 rats each). Group I, the control group, Group II received ACR intraperitoneally. Group III received ACR intraperitoneal and Se orally. Group IV received Se orally. The regimen continued for 4 weeks. The rats were anaesthetized and the cerebellum was extracted, dissected and processed for the light microscopic (LM) and transmission electron microscopic (TEM) examinations as well as morphometric measurements.
Results: The LM study of the group II revealed distorted Purkinje cells with pyknotic nuclei and irregularly separated white matter nerve fibers, but in group III, Purkinje cells were similar to the control group with disperse shrunken Purkinje cells. The TEM examination of the group II revealed irregular shrunken Purkinje cells with dark nuclei with distorted cytoplasmic organelles and shrunken granule cells comparing to group III which had normal cytoplasmic organelles of Purkinje and granule cells with few cells with euchromatic nuclei and irregular outline. The immunoreaction for glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) was strong in group II in compared to moderate in group III and weak in group IV.
Conclusion: Co-administration of Se with acrylamide is suggested to minimize to a great extent the harmful effects of ACR on the cerebellum of rats.