HISTOLOGICAL CHANGES IN THE HIPPOCAMPUS AND BEHAVIOR PATTERN FOLLOWING EXPOSURE TO PAINT FUMES ON ADULT MALE WISATR RATS

*Ekundina V.O., Ebeye O. A. and Cookey-Gam T.B.

ABSTRACT

People get exposed to paint fumes either as a result of remodeling of homes, nature of occupation and otherwise. Paint fumes are gaseous emissions from paints that get mixed up with the air around us and they contain volatile organic compounds which are known to be hazardous to human health. This study accessed the effect of paint fume exposure on 12 adult male wistar rats divided into 4 groups with 3 rats each. Group 1, 2 and 3 were exposed for 2, 3, and 4 weeks respectively while group 4 was the control group. At the end of each week, open field test was conducted to access some behavioral pattern in the rats. Animals were sacrificed using cervical dislocation, the brain dissected and the hippocampus was fixed, processed using routine processing schedule, paraffin sections were stained with H & E staining technique. Result showed in no observable cellular change in group 1 and group 4, while group 2 showed slight cellular changes in group 2 and marked degenerative changes in group 3. This duration dependent changes in the hippocampus may be as a result of prolonged exposure to paint fumes. Weight showed no marked and statistically variation across all groups, open field test revealved reduced locomotion, exploratory and increased anxiety across the exposed groups when compared with the control. This researched showed that exposure to paint fume caused degenerative changes in the hippocampus which may lead to amnesia and can also be anxiogenic. The public should beware and employ protective measures

Keywords: Hippocampus, Paint Fumes, Open Field Test, Histology, Vocs, Wistar Rat.