الفهرس 
Aim of the WorkOnly 14 pages are availabe for public view
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Abstract
Aging is the progressive accumulation of changes with time that are associated with or responsible for the ever-increasing susceptibility to disease and death. Age associated neuro-degenerative diseases are characterized by gradually progressive selective loss of anatomically or physiologically related neuronal systems. The free radical theory of aging maintains that oxygen-derived free radicals, byproducts of metabolic reactions, can attack cellular molecules and can potentiate oxidative damage and inflammatory responses. Therefore, oxidative stress and low-grade inflammation are the hallmarks of the aging process and are even more enhanced in many age-related degenerative diseases. On the other hand, FC ethanolic extract proved to have anti-aging effects on the brain and multiple desirable characteristics for a neuroprotective agent. The present study tried to evaluate the effects of aging on the structure of rat frontal cortex and CA1 & the possible protective role of FC ethanolic extract. The main objective in our study was to study the role of FC ethanolic extract in delaying the frontal cortex and hippocampal degenerative changes in the aged rats.
Material and methods:
The current study was done on forty healthy adult male albino rats twenty young adult aged 3months, each weigh from (180-200 gm) and twenty old rats aged 24months, each weigh from (300-350 gm). The animals were kept under controlled conditions of temperature, humidity and provided with water and balanced diet. Ethical approval was obtained from the Faculty of Medicine, Menoufia University under code 12/2020ANT22.
The rats were divided into four experimental groups:
• group I (young control group):
This group included ten young males albino rat aged 3 months and kept without any treatment for six weeks.
• group II (young group treated with FC leave extract):
This group included ten adult males albino rat aged 3 months and received FC leave extract at a dose 500mg/kg via gastric tube orally once daily for six weeks.
• group III (aged control group):
This group included ten adult males albino rat aged 24months. They were kept without any treatment for six weeks.
• group IV (aged group treated with F. C leave extract):
This group included ten adult males albino rat aged 24 months. They received FC leaves extract at the same dose, duration, and route of administration as group II.
At the end of the experimental period, the rats were anesthetized by ether inhalation. Blood samples were collected from the retro-orbital venous plexus for further biochemical assessment. The animals were sacrificed by rapid cervical dislocation. The brain was dissected out and fixed in 10% neutral formaldehyde then subjected to histological and immunohistochemical assessment. Five μm sections were obtained and stained by:
1. Haematoxylin & Eosin stain (Hx & E).
2. Toulidine blue stain.
3. Immunohistochemical staining of GFAP, Tau, Caspase3 and Ki67.
Morphometric measurements were done by the image analyzer for:
1. The intensity colour of toluidine blue.
2. The area percentage of the positive GFAP, Tau and Caspase3 immunostaining.
3. The percentage of positive cells with Ki-67 immunostaining.
Results:
In the young rats(3months), no changes in the structure of the frontal cortex and hippocampus were observed in the young control group & young group received FC ethanolic extract.
In the aged rats (24 months), the frontal cortex and hippocampus sections showed disturbed arrangement of the pyramidal cell layer, and many degenerated shrunken pyramidal cells were observed. Vacuolations appeared in all layers. Appearance of the vacuolated neuropile areas. There was down regulation in Nissl granule density. There was an up regulation in the number & size of the astrocytes with dense brown GFAP immunoreaction, up regulation in caspase3 immunoreaction, down regulation Tau1 immunostaining and there was also down regulation in positive cells reacted with Ki-67.
In the aged rats received FC ethanolic extract, the structure of the frontal cortex and hippocampus was like that of young control rats. An up regulation in the Nissl granule content in the cytoplasm of the pyramidal cell was noticed. An observable down regulation in the number & size of the GFAP immunoreactive astrocytes was also detected, down regulation caspase 3 immunoreaction and up regulation Tau1 as compared to aged control rats. Also, an observable up regulation in the Ki-67 immunoreaction in the pyramidal cells.