The effect of ingestion of dietary oxidized groundnut oil on the histology
of wistar rat brain (cerebral cortex), liver, and kidney were examined. Female
weanling rats (
Rattus norvegicus
) were maintained for 12 weeks on intermittently
thermoxidzed groundnut oil at 15% dietary level as part of a balanced diet.
Fresh (unheated) groundnut oil served as the control. Histological examination
of the selected tissues (cerebral cortex, liver, and kidney) showed mild to
severe distortion of the normal architecture in animals fed with replenished
and not-replenished thermoxidized groundnut oil respectively. Distortion of
the layered appearance of the cerebral cortex was observed in addition to the
prominence of the pyramidal cells. The liver showed mild to severe distortion
of the normal architecture in animals fed with thermoxidized groundnut oil,
as well as prominence and widening of the liver sinusoids. The kidney showed
alterations in tubules and disintegration of the glomeruli. The results indicate
that structural abnormalities had occurred in the animals fed oxidized groundnut
oil.
