FEATURES OF THE HISTOLOGICAL STRUCTURE OF THE ALBINO RAT CECUM
Background. From the functional point of view, the cecum is considered to be the portion of the digestive tract, where bacterial digestion processes take place. These processes involve cellulose degradation due to the vital activity of the normal intestinal microflora, where pathogenic microorganisms are also present. The aim. To study the histological features of the structure of the albino rat cecum. Material and methods. Thirty mature albino male rats weighing 200,0±20,0 g were involved into the study. The specimens of albino rat cecum, fixed in a 10% neutral buffered formalin solution, were studied. The study was carried out using conventional histological methods for obtaining serial paraffin sections of 4 µm thick, which were stained with hematoxylin-eosin. The obtained specimens were studied under the “Konus” light microscope equipped with Sigeta DCM-900 9.0MP digital photomicrographic attachment with the Biorex 3 software adapted for these studies. Results. The main formations of the mucous membrane of the albino rat cecum were simple tubular unbranched (Lieberkühn) glands, better known as intestinal crypts. Peyer's patches were the local representation of specific immunity in the cecum of albino rats. Conclusions. Despite a significant anatomical difference in the shape of the albino rat cecum, the histophysiological properties of its mucous membrane, in principle, do not differ from those of a similar human organ, which may justify the validity of its use as a model in experimental studies.