Abstract

Cassava (Manihot escculenta) is an annual tuber root crop cultivated widely in the tropics and subtropics, it serves as a major food crop of low protein but high calorie content. At the cellular level, both free cyanide and hydrogen cyanide has been found to induce degeneration via increased lysosomal activity in vivo (Sotoblanco et al., 2002). In this study we investigated the effects of cassava diet administered to adult wistar rats at 2, 5, 10, 20 and 30 gms of cassava per animal per day for a period of 60 days using metachromasia of Cresyl fast violet for Nissl substance to demonstrate degenerating neurons. The mode of cell death observed in the V1 was found to be an apoptosis-necrosis continuum for moderate dose treatment and necrosis for extreme dose treatment while the SC and LGB was mainly necrosis irrespective of the dosage.

Key words: Primary cortex, superior colliculus, lateral geniculate body, apoptosis, necrosis, reactive oxygen species, cyanide, nitric oxide.