MORPHOLOGICAL CHANGES OF REGIONAL LYMPH NODES AFTER NEPHRECTOMY IN EXPERIMENT

Relevance of the topic: The increasing prevalence of kidney diseases and the widespread use of nephrectomy procedures highlight the relevance of research in this field. Unilateral nephrectomy affects not only compensatory changes in the remaining kidney but also the immune and lymphatic systems. However, the time-dependent mor­phological and morphometric changes observed in regional lymph nodes after nephrectomy remain insufficiently studied. Therefore, investigation of these changes is of significant theoretical and practical importance.

Aim of the study: To study the morphological and morphometric changes of regional lymph nodes in rabbits after unilateral nephrectomy under experimental conditions.

Materials and methods: The study was conducted on 30 Chinchilla rabbits, which were divided into control and postoperative groups corresponding to 7, 14, 30, 60, and 90 days after surgery. Histological methods (hematox­ylin and eosin staining, Van Gieson staining) and morphometric analysis were used.

Results and conclusions: After nephrectomy, reactive-hyperplastic changes with a phase-dependent pattern were observed in the regional lymph nodes. The most pronounced changes were detected on the 14th day and included thickening of the cortical and paracortical zones, an increase in the number of lymphoid follicles and the proportion of follicles with germinal centers, as well as enhanced sinus histiocytosis. By days 60–90, most parameters gradually approached the control values; however, mild sclerotic changes persisted in some animals. The obtained findings indicate the development of local compensatory-adaptive responses of the immune system after kidney removal.