Effect of quinine administration on Purkinje cells in the cerebellar cortex of adult wistar rats

Objective: The effect of quinine commonly used for the treatment of Chloroquine resistant malaria and cerebral malaria on the population and transverse diameters of Purkinje cells in the cerebellar cortex was investigated. Methods: Twenty-seven adult male wistar rats weighing between 150g and 190g were separated into three groups, each containing nine rats. The rats in group I were injected intramuscularly with equivalent volume of physiological saline, while group II rats were injected intramuscularly with an initial 20mg/kg body weight dose of quinine followed by a 10mg/ kg body weight dose given 8 hourly for 7 days. The group III rats received the same treatment as group II, but were subjected to a withdrawal period of one week. The cerebellum of each rat was removed and fixed in 10 % formol saline for routine histological procedures. Results: The Purkinje cell population reduced significantly (P<0.05) from the mean value of 363±5.2 cells/mm² in group I to a mean value of 239±9.5 cells/mm² in group II and 220±6.6 cells/mm² in group III rats. The transverse diameters of the Purkinje cells also reduced significantly (p<0.05) from the mean value of 1.20⁺0.02μm in the group I to a mean value of 1.09±0.1μm in group II and 0.75±0.03μm in group III. Conclusion: The observed decrease in population and diameters of Purkinje cells in the treatment groups may impair cerebellar functions since they are the principal neurons of the cerebellum.