The dissertation not only presents a theoretical generalisation but also offers a significant breakthrough in the scientific and practical task of establishing the morphological and biochemical parameters of the structure of the adrenal glands and testes under the influence of Vipera berus venom. These findings are crucial for understanding the effects of exogenous and endogenous factors on metabolic processes.
The dissertation research was carried out by the scientific research plans of the National Medical University named after O. O. Bogomolets and is a fragment of the research work on descriptive and clinical anatomy: "Morphological features of rat organs under conditions of experimental exogenous exposure" (state registration number 0122U000491).
The experiment was meticulously conducted on 50 white outbred male rats obtained from the Taras Shevchenko Kyiv National University vivarium. During the study, the experimental animals were carefully divided into a control group and two experimental groups: rats injected intraperitoneally with Vipera berus berus venom at the appropriate ED50 dose, and rats injected intraperitoneally with Vipera berus nikolskii venom at an appropriate ED50 dose.
The choice of dose was determined by previous studies, in which toxic doses of venoms of common vipers Vipera berus berus and Vipera berus nikolskii were established.
For histological examination, pieces of adrenal glands and testes were taken from pre-weighed animals of all groups and studied using light and electron microscopy methods. Homogenates of experimental rats' adrenal glands, testes, and blood samples were used for biochemical and laboratory studies.
During light microscopy of the adrenal glands of rats in the control group, it was established that the cells of the glomerular zone form closely spaced round clusters, the shape of the nuclei varies slightly from oval to round, with clear boundaries, the nucleoli are delineated against the background of a light nucleus with a predominance of euchromatin; one nucleolus is noted, the cytoplasm is weakly acidophilic; cells have a significant level of vacuolation. Stromal elements are represented by connective tissue with eosinophilic collagen fibres and fibroblasts, characterised by a flattened dark nucleus and a small zone of eosinophilic cytoplasm around it. The cells of the bundle zone are arranged in columns and have rounded nuclei and acidophilic cytoplasm. Cells are packed tightly to each other and have a shape from round to polygonal. Nuclei are intensely basophilic with pronounced granularity; sometimes, perinuclear vacuolisation is observed. Cytoplasm is also characterised by vacuolisation due to fatty inclusions, although it is somewhat less pronounced than in the glomerular zone. The cells of the reticular zone are slightly smaller than those of the columnar zone, polygonal in shape, and have rounded nuclei and acidophilic cytoplasm. Cytoplasmic vacuolisation is somewhat less pronounced than in other zones. The sinusoids are expanded, and their lumens are filled with clusters of erythrocytes. Compared to different areas of the cortical substance, the larger diameter of the sinusoids is determined by their further confluence into the venous channels that provide blood outflow. Brain matter contains large cells with basophilic granular cytoplasm without accumulated lipids, with a well-developed network of granular endoplasmic reticulum, which, due to the presence of RNA, has an acidic nature and is stained with hematoxylin. There is a significant number of venous channels, which are characterised by the presence of clusters of erythrocytes.
