Ameliorative Effects of Lactium on Prefrontal Cortex and Hippocampus of Rat Offspring with Induced Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (Histological study)

Background: Early stressful conditions as maternal separation constitutes a critical determinant in many neurodevelopmental disorders as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). ADHD can be considered among the most common child-psychiatric conditions nowadays. Lactium is a milk protein that has been shown to have anxiolytic and antistress effects. Aim of the study: To determine the possible ameliorative impact of oral delivery of lactium on prefrontal cortex and hippocampus of rat offsprings after induction of ADHD using the early maternal separation protocol. Material and methods: 40 male albino rat’s offspring were placed into four groups (10 rats each); I (negative control): without maternal separation or lactium treatment, II (Positive control): without maternal separation but they received lactium from postnatal day 21 (P21) to postnatal day 51 (P51), III (maternally separated rats) and IV (maternally separated rats with lactium treatment from P21 to P51). The maternal separation procedure entailed separating the mother from the offspring for three hours daily, from 09:00 to 12:00, from postnatal day 2 (P2) to postnatal day 14 (P14). After weight assessment and behavioral test (elevated plus arm maze test) on P51, tissue samples from the prefrontal cortex and hippocampus were collected and involved within histological (H&E), immunohistochemical (GFAP and caspase3), and morphometric analyses. Results: The experimental groups exhibited significantly reduced weight gain compared to the controls. The histological appearance of the prefrontal cortex and hippocampus showed increased neuronal degeneration and apoptosis in the maternally separated groups compared to the control groups, with apparently partial restoration of normal appearance in the lactium treated group. Conclusion: Oral administration of lactium in rat offspring subjected to early maternal separation-induced ADHD, yielded significant neurobehavioral and histological improvements.