assessment of the effects of protein malnutrition on cerebellar purkinje cells in adult rats

conclusions considering that neuronal function highly depends on environmental conditions, any adverse alteration may affect the function and morphology of neurons. in this regard, our results showed the adverse effects of protein malnutrition on the morphology of the purkinje cells of cerebellum. results the low-protein group did not gain weight as much as control group (p < 0.05). the diameter of purkinje cells was 151 ± 8 µm in control group compared to 179.5 ± 11 µm in low-protein group (p < 0.05). the mean number of purkinje cells was 14.2 ± 4 in control group and was 8.3 ± 7 in low-protein group (p < 0.05). distances between purkinje cells was 363.9 ± 12 µm in control group, but increased to 472.1 ± 27 µm in low-protein group (p < 0.05). materials and methods twenty two male wistar adult rats were randomly divided into two groups including animals with normal diet and trial animals that underwent protein deprivation for ten months. then the animals were sacrificed with aldehyde solutions and their cerebella were removed for sectioning. forty µm coronal sections were prepared and stained with hematoxylin and eosin (h & e) and neutral red. morphometeric parameters including the frequency and diameter of purkinje cells and distances between them were studied by light microscopy. statistical analysis was done with mann-whitney u test. background purkinje cells play a critical role in the normal function of the cerebellum and are highly susceptible to a variety of abnormal conditions including protein deprivation, which may lead to brain dysfunction. objectives the aim of this study was to investigate the effects of low-protein diet on the frequency, diameter and distance between purkinje cells of the cerebellum.