The present in vivo murine study was aimed to investigate the long-term effect of repeated administration of low-dose of the environmental toxicant trichloroethane (TCE) over three weeks on the spleen and peripheral blood cells, and the possible role of oxidative stress in TCE-induced toxicity. The results showed neither adverse clinical signs nor mortality on the TCE-treated mice. However, significant changes were noticed in the spleen of those animals. Grossly, the spleen of TCE-treated group was congested and enlarged (splenomegaly). Histpathologically, the splenic tissues of TCE-treated mice showed signs of toxicity as highly activated germinal centers of the white pulp with minimal apoptotic reaction as well as a prominent megakarocytosis and infiltration of the red pulp by comparatively increased number of eosinophiIs and mature lymphocytes were detected. In addition, lymphocyte numbers were decreased in peripheral blood as well as basophils. In contrast, there was an increase in monocyte numbers in the peripheral circulation. In addition, lipid peroxidation/ malondialdehyde formation, a biomarker of oxidative stress, was significantly induced by TCE treatment in the sera and spleen of mice, suggesting an overall increase in oxidative stress. These results provide further support to a role of oxidative stress in TCE-induced cell death, which could result in an impaired spleen function. This study concludes that attenuation of TCE-induced splenic damage in mice provides an approach for preventive and/or therapeutic strategies
Massaud S. Maamar, Mohamed A. Al-Griw, Rabia O. Al-Ghazeer, Seham A. Al-Azreg, Naser M. Salama, Emad M. Bennour(3-2016)

Exposure to chemicals has been shown to adversely affect CNS health in rodents and humans. The objective was to evaluate, in-vivo, the effects of trichloroethane (TCE), a ubiquitous environmental contaminant, on the integrity of neural cells. A group of albino mice was injected intraperitoneally twice weekly for three weeks with TCE (100 and 400 µg/kg). Animals were followed up for signs of toxicity and death. Alterations in neural tissues have also been investigated by histopathology The results showed a large number of degenerative neural cells (pyknosis of nuclei, DNA fragmentation, chromatin condensation) in the 100 and 400 µg/kg TCE-treated groups comparing to controls. Although there were no significant effect on the neural cell counts, the pattern of increased degenerative cells in TCE-treated groups was higher compared to controls. The results also showed that TCE led to a significant increase in the percent of degenerative neurons. There was also a significant reduction in the percent of neurons. These results correlated with the increase in the percent of glia. This study indicates that TCE exposure had detrimental impact on neural cells, and that neurons are more vulnerable to TCE than glia in this in-vivo mouse model.
Mohamed A. Al-Griw, Naser M. Salama, Soad A. Treesh, Lubna N. Algadi, Abdul hakim Elnfati(7-2015)

Reactive gliosis and inflammation are risk factors for white matter injury (WMI) development, which are correlated with the development of many neurodevelopmental deficits with no treatment. This study aimed to understand the mechanisms correlated with WMI, with a particular focus on the role of nuclear factor‑kappa B (NF‑kB) and p38 mitogen‑activated protein kinases (MAPKs) pathways. Seven‑day‑old Wistar rats were used to generate cerebellar tissue slices. Slices were cultured and randomly allocated to one of 3 groups and treated as follows: group‑I (control); group‑II (WMI), slices were subjected to 20 min of oxygen‑glucose deprivation (OGD); group‑III (WMI+ blockers), slices were subjected to OGD and treated with the blockers. Results showed that OGD insult triggered a marked increase in the apoptosis among WM elements, as confirmed by TUNEL assay. Immunocytochemical experiments revealed that there was a significant decrease in the percent of MBP+ OLs and NG2+ OPCs, and myelin integrity. There was also a significant increase in the percent of reactive microglia and astrocytes. BrdU immunostaining revealed there was an increase in the percent of proliferating microglia and astrocytes. Q‑RT‑PCR results showed OGD upregulated the expression levels of cytokines (TNF‑α, IL‑1, IL‑6, and IL‑1β) and inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS). On the other hand, treatment with BAY11 or SB203580 significantly enhanced the OL survival, restored myelin loss, and reduced microglia and astrocyte reactivity, and downregulated the iNOS and cytokine expression. Our findings demonstrate that blocking of NF‑KB/p38 MAPK pathways alleviated reactive gliosis, inflammation, and OL loss upon WMI. The findings may help to develop therapeutic interventions for WMI.
Mohamed A. Al-Griw, Michael G. Salter, Ian C. Wood(1-2022)