Structural and metabolic changes in rat hypothalamic histaminergic neurons induced by the bile loss

The aim of the study was the estimation of structural and metabolic changes in histaminergic neurons of rat hypotha-lamic E2 nucleus induced by total external bile drainage. The investigation was carried out on male Wistar rats (n=45). The control group comprised the sham-operated animals, in which the physiological bile drainage was preserved during the whole experimental period. Quantitative histological and histochemical methods were used. In serial frontal cryostat sections of poste-rior hypothalamus, the activity of the following enzymes was demonstrated histochemically: monoamine oxidase B, succinate dehydrogenase, NADH- dehydrogenase, NADPH-dehydroge-nase, glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase, lactate dehydroge-nase and acid phosphatase. Morphometric study of histaminergic neurons was performed in thionin-stained sections. It was found that total external bile drainage resulted in a temporary reduc-tion of the sizes and rounding of neuronal perikarya. Metabolic changes were detected already after 1 day of bile loss, and they were found to progress henceforth. All the pathways of energy metabolism were suppressed, while the acid phosphatase activity was increased, on day 5.

brain, histaminergic neurons, morphometry, histochemistry, bile