Effect of Cigarette Smoke Inhalation on the Hippocampus of Adult Female Wistar Rat

The increasing female exposure to cigarette smoke is a public health challenge to the society as female mental health is a major prerequisite for a healthier society and future. This work was carried out to examine the effect of cigarette smoke inhalation on the hippocampus of female Wistar rats. Fourteen female Wistar rats weighing 150-200g were divided into two groups of 7 rats each. Group A was the control group and Group B was the experimental group which was exposed to two sticks of cigarette smoke daily in an inhalation chamber for 14 days. Neurobehavioral study (Morris water maze test) was done before and after exposure and the rats were sacrificed. Two rat brains were fixed in Bouin’s fluid for histological studies and the other five for antioxidant studies. Results were analyzed using SPSS and values were significant at P≤0.05. Results showed that animals in group B had a reduction in weight after the first week of exposure to the cigarette smoke compared to the initial weight. After a fourteen day period of the experiment, group B animals had significant increase in weight compared to the initial weight. The neurobehavioral studies showed that group B animals took more time to discover the escape platform in a Morris water maze test at the end of the experimental period compared to the initial values. Histological study showed darkly stained medium-sized pyramidal cells in the hippocampus proper (conus ammonis) of group B rats. We therefore conclude cigarette smoke inhalation has neurodegenerative effects on the hippocampus of female Wistar rats.