The analysis of histological features and morphometric parameters of the ovaries in absenсe epilepsy

Abstract

Aim. Using histological and morphometric methods to assess the state of the ovaries of rats with absence epilepsy.
 Material and methods. The experiments were carried out on mature female Wistar and WAG/Rij rats (genetic model of human absence epilepsy). Animal ovaries were fixed in neutral buffered 10% formalin and embedded in paraffin according to the standard procedure. Sections obtained on a microtome were stained with hematoxylin and eosin.
 Results. When studying the morphological picture of the ovaries, destruction of the cortical and medulla of the ovary of WAG/Rij rats was found. It was noted that the layer of granulosa cells surrounding the oocyte has a looser structure. The observed changes in the follicular epithelium were probably accompanied by impaired functional activity. Morphometric analysis showed that in WAG/Rij rats the weight of the ovaries is almost 2 times less than in Wistar rats: 37.30.93 mg versus 55.842.36 mg. In addition, there are differences in the thickness of the epithelial layer - 7.810.25 m, which is 26.2% less than in Wistar rats (p0.05). This indicates possible morphological and functional disorders. In the ovaries of WAG/Rij rats, we noted that the layer of granulosa cells surrounding the oocyte has a looser structure. Sometimes destructive changes in follicular epithelium and apoptotic death of granulosa cells were observed, which was accompanied by impaired functional activity. When studying ovarian follicles, it was revealed that in WAG/Rij rats the follicles were irregular in shape, their diameter and area were smaller than in Wistar females. In addition, the numerical density of all types of follicles was lower, which indicates a violation of ovulation processes. Conclusions. The results obtained allowed us to conclude that rats with absence epilepsy exhibit structural and quantitative changes in the ovaries, which indicates certain disorders of the reproductive system.