Hordiienko H. Morphofunctional changes in the stomach under conditions of experimental intermittent fasting

Intermittent fasting is a phenomenon of modern dietetics, the main concept of which is to limit the time for eating, in contrast to the traditional restriction of calories or certain foods. The dissertation is devoted to the study of the effect of interval fasting according to the scheme of alternative fasting ("feeding day": "fasting day") 3 on the morphofunctional features of the stomach of rats at the macro- and microscopic level in combination with the study of hematological indicators. As a result of a search in the Scopus database of scientific publications using the keyword "intermittent fasting", 3056 publications were found, with the earliest dating back to 1946. Over the past 10 years, the number of scientific papers on this topic has increased sharply, confirming its relevance. The dissertation is the first to conduct a comprehensive study of the effects of interval fasting, according to the scheme of alternative fasting, on the stomach of rats. Stomach samples were examined by organometry, histology, morphometry, histochemistry, and immunohistochemistry; rat blood samples were analyzed for hematological and biochemical parameters. Using histological methods, the presence of signs of dyscirculatory disorders and inflammation was established after the first week of interval fasting. After two weeks of the experiment, sclerosis and non-metaplastic atrophy were added to the morphological picture. After four weeks, all previously described changes progressed, the mucous membrane was atrophic, and the glandular epithelium had dystrophic changes. Using immunohistochemical studies, a reliable, stable increase in vimentin and neuron-specific enolase expression in rat stomach tissue was observed, indicating depletion of the body's adaptive resources and chronic damage to the stomach during prolonged interval fasting. According to blood test results, microcytic hypochromic anemia and pancytopenia were detected, as well as increased liver enzyme activity and elevated urea and glucose levels during prolonged intermittent fasting. The results of the study of morphofunctional changes in the stomach during intermittent fasting allow for a comprehensive assessment of the impact of this dietary approach on the body and can be used to develop an algorithm for monitoring the body's condition during intermittent fasting