Morphometric Evaluation of the Neuroprotective Action of an Extract of Astragalus Membranaceous in the Brains of Rats during Restraint Stress

The aims of the present work were to analyze histological and morphometric changes in the brain in rats subjected to restraint stress and to evaluate the neuroprotective action of an Astragalus membranaceous extract (AE). Experiments were performed on three groups of Wistar rats (six per group): group 1 consisted of intact rats, group 2 of controls, i.e., animals subjected to restraint stress for 18 h, and group 3 of animals given p.o. AE (50 mg/kg) for seven days and subjected to restraint stress. The level of stress-induced brain injury was assessed morphometrically, on the basis of the proportions of unaltered neurons, hyperchromic shrunken neurons, and neurons with signs of dystrophy in layers III–V of the cerebral cortex and hippocampal field CA1, per unit area. Restraint stress in rats led to clear neuron damage in the cerebral cortex and hippocampus. AE limited stress-induced neuronal injury: the proportion of hyperchromic shrunken neurons in the cerebral cortex and hippocampus decreased by factors of 3 and 4.6, respectively, from the level seen in controls.

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