Early Morphological and Functional Reorganization of the Articular Cartilage in Rats with Experimental Osteoarthrosis of Different Genesis.

Peculiarities of the morphology of some phenotypes of experimental osteoarthrosis was studied in experiments on rats. Reorganization of the knee articular cartilage of Wistar rats during aging (age-associated phenotype), obesity (metabolic phenotype), circulatory disturbances (e.g., chronic heart failure), and their combinations (polymorbidity) was studied by hematoxylin and eosin staining, immunohistochemical staining for collagen II and caspase 3, and morphometry. High sensitivity of the cartilage to non-traumatic influence of different anthropomorphic factors was demonstrated; morphological changes in osteoarthrosis of different genesis. The most pronounced pathological changes were observed in polymorbid animals, which allowed developing a new pathogenetically substantiated model of nontraumatic osteoarthrosis.

Morphology of Synovial Membrane and Articular Cartilage in the Knee Joint in Experimental Chronic Heart Failure.

Structural-and-functional reorganization of the synovial membrane and articular cartilage in the knee joint was studied in rats with experimental chronic heart failure. Separation of fibers, decrease in the relative volume density of microcirculatory vessels, and increase in the expression of MMP-9 and caspase 3 were found in the synovial membrane. A decrease in the thickness of the surface layer (tendency to erosion), vacuolization and necrosis of chondrocytes, and increase in their readiness to programmed cell death were observed in the articular cartilage. Changes in the content of type II collagen and metachromasia were revealed in the cartilage matrix. These changes illustrate the development of degenerative arthropathy in cartilage components.

The impact of adipogenic diet on rats' tissue trace elements content.

The purpose: The influence of high-fat diet (HFD) on trace elements status, adipokine level, and markers of carbohydrate and lipid metabolism in weanling Wistar rats was investigated. Methods: A total of 20 male 1-months-old Wistar rats divided into two equal groups were used in the present study. The first group of animals obtained a standard diet (STD), whereas animals from the second group (NAFLD) were maintained on high-fat diet containing 10 and 31.6% of total calories from fat, respectively, during 1 month. Fat diet (HFD). Trace element status (using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry), serum levels of insulin, adiponectin, and leptin (using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay), total cholesterol (TC), triglycerides (TG), low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), glucose (spectrophotometrically), apolipoprotein A1 (ApoA1) and B (ApoB) (using immunoturbidimetric method) were assessed. Results: It was shown that 1-month HFD feeding resulted in significant increase of EDAT, RPAT, total adipose tissue mass, and adipocyte area. HFD-fed animals were also characterized by a significant increase in circulating leptin levels and leptin-to-adiponectin ratio as compared to the control ones. No significant HFD-related difference in serum lipid spectrum, adiponectin, apolipoproteins, glucose, insulin, and HOMA-IR were revealed. Liver Cu, I, Mn, Se, Zn; EDAT Cr, V, Co, Cu, Fe,I, and RPAT Co, Cu, I, Cr, V, Fe, and Zn were significantly decreased in HFD-fed rats in comparison with the control group levels. Hair Co, Mn, Si, and V levels significantly exceeded the respective control values, whereas Se and I content were decreased in studied animals. At the same time, only serum Cu was significantly decreased in HFD-fed rats. Conclusion: The interplay between the impaired trace elements metabolism of HFD-fed weanling Wistar rats and disorder of adipokine balance was demonstrated. It is supposed that the altered trace elements status is primary and precedes other metabolic obesity-related disturbances.

[MORPHO-FUNCTIONAL CHARACTERISTIC OF THE THYROID GLAND AFTER ADMINISTRATION OF COPPER NANOPARTICLES].

The study was conducted on 15 male Wistar rats, which were injected intramuscularly with copper nanoparticle lyosols at a dose of 2.0 mg/kg body weight once a week for 3 months. Thyroid gland was removed 7 days after the last injection and was studied using histological, morphometric and immunohistochemical methods (demonstration of Ki-67 and caspase-3). Animals of the control group (n = 15) were administered distilled water at the same time intervals. It was found that after 1, 2, 3 and 4 injections of copper nanoparticles, the thyroid gland contained an increased number of large cyst-like follicles, while the average thyrocyte height of and the volume of their nuclei were reduced, which indicate a decline in hormone production. After 12 injections of copper nanoparticles, the hyperplastic thyroid gland demonstrated small follicles lined with columnar epithelium, which contained no or small amount of the colloid. The number of mitotically dividing thyrocytes was increased. Parafollicular cells demonstrated an apoptotic dominant. Morphological data suggest goitrogenic effect of multiple doses of copper nanopartides. The data received indicating the readiness of the thyroid cells to the programmed death and its possible depression (absence of signs of thyrocyte apoptosis) at different stages of the experiment confirm the modulating effect of copper on apoptosis.