Objective: In this study, we investigated the effect of vitamin E (α-tocopherol), a potent fat-soluble antioxidant, against intracerebroventricular-injected iron-induced neurotoxicity on the cerebellar Purkinje cells in rats.

Materials and Methods: Rats were divided into three groups: control, iron and iron+vitamin E groups. Rats in the iron and iron+vitamin E groups received intracerebroventricular iron (FeCl₃6H₂O, 200 mM, 2.5 μl), while those in iron+vitamin E groups were intraperitoneally injected with vitamin E (100 mg/kg/day) once a day after the operation for 10 days. After 10 days, all rats were perfused intracardially and then sacrificed. Brain tissues were removed and standard histological techniques were performed. The total numbers of Purkinje cells were estimated using unbiased stereological techniques.

Results: Means of the total numbers of Purkinje cells in the cerebellum were estimated as 490584±13286, 331497±10764, 412118±15842 in the control, iron and iron+vitamin E groups, respectively. Comparison between iron and iron+vitamin E groups revealed that vitamin E significantly attenuates the iron-induced neuron loss from 32.4% to 15.9% (P < 0.01).

Conclusion: Findings of the present study show that α-tocopherol considerably reverses iron-induced Purkinje cell loss in cerebellum. It is thought that this effect may be due to the scavenging activity of vitamin E on free radicals.