T191. FRONTO-CORTICAL ROLES OF NIGELLA SATIVA IN SOCIALLY ISOLATED MICE

BACKGROUND: Schizophrenia is a chronic debilitating mental disorder, modelled developmentally in animals by social isolation rearing (SIR). This study investigated the roles of Nigella sativa, a multi-therapeutic plant oil, on the fronto-cortical functions and alterations in socially isolated BALB/c mice. METHODS: Body weights, relative brain weights, dopamine, glutamate and GPX levels, as well as recognition memory were measured in 75 albino pups of 10 weeks age. These pups were divided into CTRL,NS,SIR, SIR NS and NS SIR. CTRL (socialised) and SIR (isolated) received 10ml/kg normal saline orally for 10 days, while the NS-SIR, NS and SIR-NS received 1ml/kg Nigella sativa oil orally for 10 days either prophylactically (prenatal exposure), alone without isolation, or interventionally respectively. Recognition memory was assayed through novel object recognition test and the animals were euthanized. Brains were excised for histological examination of the frontal Cortex using the H&E stain. RESULTS: Significant increase (p<0.05) in fronto-cortical glutamate, dopamine, and glutathione peroxidase (GPX), as well as recognition memory index, relative brain weight and total body weights were recorded in the isolated mice that were pre-treated and post-treated with Nigella sativa, compared with the untreated ones. However, no significant neuroarchitectural difference was observed histologically across the frontal cortices of the mice. DISCUSSION: Nigella sativa was significantly prophylactic and ameliorative of the neurochemical and neurobehavioural schizotypic deficits induced in socially isolated BALB/c mice. This was revealed by glutamate, dopamine, GPX, recognition index and relative brain weight values of the pretreated and post-treated mice. Use of dendritic and Nissl markers are recommended for better histological appreciation