Morphological features of the stomach of rats under conditions of intermittent fasting

Background. Over the past ten years, intermittent fasting has gained considerable popularity both among the population and among the scientific community. However, its effect on the body has not yet been sufficiently studied and requires further research. Purpose – to establish the patterns of the influence of intermittent fasting on morphological changes in the stomach of laboratory rats. Materials and Methods. 72 white laboratory rats were divided into one control and three experimental series of 18 animals each. The first control series was fed within the physiological norm. The second experimental series was fed in the intermittent fasting mode «food day: fasting day» for a week; the third – for two weeks, the fourth – for four weeks. Results. There are no signs of atrophy in the gastric mucosa of intact rats; slight physiological desquamation of the surface epithelium is noted, and PAS-positive accumulations are present in the lamina propria of the mucous membrane. After intermittent fasting for a week, the phenomena of epithelial desquamation increased, edema and inflammatory elements appeared, and the amount of PAS-positive secretion in the apical parts of the glandular epithelium increased significantly. After two weeks of fasting, the previous pathological changes intensified, hemorrhages and non-metaplastic atrophy were added to them, and the gastric mucosa contained pink deposits in the intercellular and interglandular spaces. After four weeks of fasting, the phenomena of sclerosis, dystrophic changes of the epithelium and pronounced atrophic changes of the mucosa were observed; there was a penetration of PAS-positive secretion of the connective tissue of the lamina propria and the lower parts of the mucous membrane. Conclusions. Intermittent fasting in the mode of «fasting day: access to food day» causes pronounced morphological changes in the gastric mucosa of rats (dystrophy, atrophy, inflammation, dyscirculatory disorders), and the longer the fasting period, the more pronounced these changes are.