Morphological study of rat spleen after application of mineral feed additive based on chelate compounds

Purpose: Morphological study of the spleen of white laboratory rats of the Wistar line when adding a mineral supplement based on chelate compounds to the feed. Materials and methods. The experiments were conducted on white male laboratory rats of the Wistar line weighing 200-250 g. “Chelavit C” was used as a mineral feed additive. After three months, the animals were euthanized using inhalation drugs combined with an overdose of anesthetic injection. Morphological analysis was performed on macro- and micropreparations of the spleen. For a general assessment of the histological organization of the spleen, hematoxylin and eosin staining was used. Iron accumulation in the spleen was assessed using Perls’ Prussian blue stain. Results. Differences in some of the main clinical and morphological parameters assessed on macroscopic specimens of the spleen of animals from the experimental and control groups were insignificant and were within the permissible physical and anatomical norm. Morphometric analysis of histological preparations of the spleen did not reveal differences between the groups; the indicators were within acceptable limits. Staining with Prussian blue according to Perls showed that the iron content in the spleen of animals in the experimental and control groups corresponds to normal values. Therefore, the used feed additive based on chelate compounds does not cause hemosiderosis, which can subsequently develop into hemochromatosis. Conclusion. A mineral feed supplement based on chelated compounds replenishes the loss of microelements without having a toxic effect on the spleen of rats. However, when administering this additive to animals, it is necessary to accurately calculate the dosage to avoid possible toxic effects.