Morphometric indicators of changes in the kidneys of experimental rats under the conditions of administration of the venom of the viper Vipera berus berus
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.11603/2414-4533.2026.3.16692Keywords:
venom, vipers, kidneys, morphometry, inflammation, ratsAbstract
The aim of the study: to determine the morphometric changes in the kidneys of experimental rats under the conditions of administration of the venom of the viper Vipera berus berus.
Materials and Methods. The animals were divided into two groups: control and experimental (10 individuals each). Experimental rats received an intraperitoneal injection of a semi-lethal dose (LD50) of the venom of Vipera berus berus in saline at a concentration of 1.576 μg/g. The control group was administered only saline. After 24 h, the rats were euthanised by decapitation after anaesthesia. A morphometric study of the area of the epithelium of the proximal and distal tubules was performed.
Results. In the experimental group, oedema and dystrophy of the epithelial cells of the proximal convoluted tubules, along with reduction or even disappearance of their lumen, led to a statistically significant increase in their area compared with the control group. An increase in the standard deviation by 2.4 times indicates uneven manifestations of edematous and other pathological processes in the proximal tubules of the kidneys of rats. If some tubules remained unchanged or had moderate signs of pathology, others, on the contrary, had edematous epithelium and narrowed lumens. As a result of the cumulative effect of pathological changes in the epithelial cells of the distal tubules themselves, which caused their flattening, and in the surrounding tissues, in particular in the circulatory component, which led to obturation and deformation of the lumens of the tubules, the area of the epithelium in this experimental group decreased statistically significantly compared to the control group.
Conclusions. Morphometric analysis of changes in the kidneys of experimental rats under the conditions of administration of the venom of the viper Vipera berus berus revealed a statistically significant increase in the area of the epithelium of the proximal convoluted tubules against the background of a sharp decrease in the area of epithelial cells of the distal tubules.
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