1 Department of Human Anatomy, Faculty of Basic Medical Sciences, College of Health Sciences, Niger Delta University, Wilberforce Island, Bayelsa State, Nigeria
Dichlorvos, a widely used pesticide, poses significant neurotoxic risks. This study examined the protective potentials of vitamin C on dichlorvos (DV)-induced hippocampal damage in Wistar rats. Five groups of rats were exposed to different aqueous dilutions of DV aerosol in a chamber for 4 hours daily over 21 days. Three groups were co-administered vitamin C (160 mg/kg) daily. Histological examination revealed that rats exposed to DV dilutions exhibited hippocampal damage characterized by pyknosis and structural alterations in the cornu ammonis and dentate gyrus. The Y-maze and novel object recognition tests revealed impaired short-term spatial (SM) and non-spatial memory (NSM). However, vitamin C supplementation ameliorated the extent of neurodegeneration in the hippocampus and the spatial and non-spatial cognitive deficit levels. The amelioration in NSM function was remarkable; there was no statistical difference between the control and vitamin C-supplemented groups. In contrast, there were significant differences between the supplemented groups and the rats exposed to DV without vitamin C supplementation. However, the ameliorative effect of vitamin C on SM impairment seems less pronounced; there was a statistical difference between the control and the supplemented groups and between the supplemented groups and the rats exposed to DV without supplementation. These findings highlight the neurodegenerative and apoptotic effects of dichlorvos on the hippocampus and suggest a potential benefit of vitamin C supplementation in mitigating the neurotoxic effects of DV.