The Effect of Probiotic Dietary Supplementation on Ethanol-Induced White and Grey Matter Damage to the Brain in Male Wistar Rats

Ethanol is a strong pro-oxidant that causes cellular oxidative stress and damage, and it has a disruptive effect on cognitive abilities that can be caused by tissue damage. In this study, the tissue effects of ethanol alone and along with probiotic consumption were investigated on parts of the gray and white matter of the brain that are located in the vicinity of the lateral ventricles.

This experimental and case-control study was performed in the Physiology Research Laboratory of Islamic Azad University of Arak, Iran. 32 male wistar large rats (12 weeks) with an average weight of 250-300 grams were randomly divided into four groups of eight: (I) Negative control group: Mice were nasogastric tubed with only one milli - liter of phosphate buffer, (II) Probiotic group: 10 9 cfu/ml lactobacillus casei were nasogastric tubed for two months, (III) ethanol receiving group: ethanol at a concentration of 2g/kg, in - jected intraperitoneally for 30 minutes daily, (IV): probiotic-ethanol group: initially probiotic 109cfu/ml lactobacilli casei was nasogastric tubed for two months and ethanol injection at a concentration of 2g/kg was performed simultaneously in the last five days of the period. Histopathological study and analysis were performed using the H&E staining technique after sacrificing mice. Prism-GraphPad 9 software was used to analyze the data and charts. Groups were compared by one-side ANOVA and Tukey test was used to determine the differences be - tween each group.

The microscopic study showed observable pathological changes in the ethanol group (p<0.01). This group showed the highest injury due to vasogenic edema with Vir - chow-Robin space tension, hydrostatic edema, central chromatolysis, ischemic neuronal in - jury, and glial cell accumulation compared to the negative control group (p<0.0001). Tissue injury in the ethanol-probiotic group was15 to 25% reduced compared to the ethanol group (p<0.01). Healthy groups that receiving only probiotics had a healthy tissue pattern.

Probiotic supplement compensates for ethanol-induced tissue injury in the cor - tical and subcortical regions adjacent to the brainstem.