Morphological alterations in the spleen of rats during late stages of experimental streptozotocin-induced diabetes mellitus

Background. Diabetes is a systemic disease that affects various organs and systems of the body. One of the known complications is damage to the immune system. However, changes in the spleen, as the central organ of the immune system in diabetes, have not been studied sufficiently. Objective. To study the features of morphological changes in the spleen in the late stages of experimental diabetes mellitus. Methods. The article presents the results of an experimental study of changes in the spleen parenchyma of rats with streptozotocin diabetes. The study was conducted on 11 adult white male rats, which were divided into two groups: control and experimental. Diabetes mellitus was induced by a single intraperitoneal injection of streptozotocin. Spleens were harvested 42 days and 56 days after induction of diabetes mellitus. Results. In diabetic rats, a sharp decrease in the mean diameter of lymphoid nodules was observed: (360.9±10.5) μm after 42 days and (314.64±11.98) μm after 56 days, compared with (448.06±9.68) μm in the control group (p<0.05). The diameters of periarteriolar lymphoid sheths also differed significantly in different groups: the average diameter was 31.41% smaller in diabetic rats (p<0.01). The narrowing of the central artery lumen probably led to pathological changes in the lymphoid structures of the spleen in diabetes. Conclusion. Significant morphological changes were observed in the red and white pulp of the rat spleen in the late stages of experimental streptozotocin-induced diabetes mellitus. The obtained results demonstrate a substantial impact of experimental diabetes on the structural elements of the rat spleen, with progressive changes manifesting at both time points, more prominently at 56 days of streptozotocin-induced diabetes mellitus.