Spirulina protects against formaldehyde induced corneal injury. - GreenMedInfo Summary
Does Oral Spirulina Protect the Cornea from Formaldehyde Exposure? Application to Anatomy Laboratories.
Clin Anat. 2018 May 7. Epub 2018 May 7. PMID: 29732620
Ahmed Farid Al-Neklawy
In this study, the protective effect of spirulina on corneal injury after formaldehyde (FA) exposure was assessed. Thirty adult male albino rats were divided into four groups. Group I: twelve rats were divided into two subgroups: I-a (negative control) and I-b (positive control). Group II (spirulina group): six rats received spirulina via an oral gavage feeding needle at a daily dose of 400mg/kg b.w. Group III (FA exposure group): six rats were subjected to 10% FA inhalation for two hours per day for two weeks (five days per week). Group IV (FA exposure group treated with spirulina): six rats were exposed to 10% FA as in group III, with co-administration of spirulina as in group II. After two weeks, all the rats were sacrificed; the corneas were dissected and processed for paraffin sections. The sections were stained with hematoxylin and eosin (H&E), Masson's trichrome (MTC), or avidin-biotin peroxidase, and examined by light microscopy. The sections of rat cornea exposed to FA (Group III) showed disorganized and compressed epithelium with erosions. Subepithelial mononuclear cell infiltration and invasion of blood vessels were also evident. Stromal collagen fibers were disorganized and widely separated. All these changes were ameliorated by administration of spirulina (Group IV). Corneal thickness was nearly normal in Group IV, statistically significantly less than in Group III. It was concluded that spirulina protects against FA-induced corneal injury in rats. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.