Finasteride induces Cytoarchitectural Alterations in Hippocampus of Adult Male Wistar Rat: A Contributor to Neuropsychiatric Effects of Post-Finasteride Syndrome

Abstract ID 79464 Poster Board 011 The hippocampus is a part of the limbic system of the brain that contribute to learning, memory and emotions. It receives signals from regulatory neurotransmitter systems, such as serotonin, norepinephrine, dopamine, and acetylcholine. Hippocampus consists of several subregions which include Cornu ammonis (CA) with variable cellularity in the constituent layers (CA1, CA2, CA3 and CA4), the dentate gyrus, and the subiculum. The CA1 is responsible for formation, consolidation and recovery of hippocampus-dependent memories. The dysfunction of hippocampus has been linked to several neurological disorders such as Alzheimer disease, memory deficits, depression, epileptic seizures, and schizophrenia. Finasteride which is used for the treatment of androgen dependent alopecia, and prostatic hyperplasia is associated with several side effects including depression, memory deficits and male infertility. To evaluate the effects of finasteride on the hippocampus, we treated young adult male albino rats with different doses (0.5mg/kg, 1mg/kg, and 2mg/kg) of finasteride for 14 days, and compared the microarchitectural changes to the control in Hematoxylin and Eosin stained sections of the brain. The cytoarchitectural changes in the hippocampus were observed using the Zeedo microscope with 5MP internal camera, and e-PLAN objectives. Thickness was measured digitally with accompanying software of the microscope, USB2.0 Camera viewer and the Labelling done with Photoscape v3.7. Result showed atrophy with loss of 10% thickness in the CA1 layer of Cornu Ammonis of the hippocampus formation in the finasteride treated groups, with average thickness in CA1 between 69.10μm and 70.21μm compared to the control, which shows normal Cornu Ammnonis (CA) with variable cellularity in the constituent layers (CA1-4) with average thickness of 78.01μm in CA1. CA1 shows rich neuronal cell density within the dentate fascia and adjacent areas. Other regions show variable cellularity with evenly distributed glial cells and pyramidal cells, all set in a meshwork of neuropils. Our findings therefore suggest that atrophic changes observed in the CA1 subfield of the hippocampus could be the basis for the memory impairments observed in Post-Finasteride Syndrome.