Ultrastructure of the liver and pancreas of rats in the first week of life after prenatal exposure to lead acetate

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.26641/1997-9665.2026.1.18-25

Keywords:

rat, liver, pancreas, lead impact, lead acetate, ultrastructural pathology, postnatal development

Abstract

Background. The importance of research into the toxic effects of heavy metals is driven by the continuous rise in anthropogenic environmental contamination. The liver and pancreas during prenatal ontogenesis are distinguished by high sensitivity to the effects of lead. This has consequences after birth, which is associated with the intensity of the course of synthetic and enzymatic processes in the organs. The aim of the study is to identify ultrastructural abnormalities in the liver and pancreas of rats in early postnatal development under the influence of lead acetate during the prenatal period in a model that included the effect of the toxicant before the onset of pregnancy. Methods. The studies were conducted on female Wistar rats weighing 200-220 g. Females of the experimental group received a 2.5% aqueous solution of lead acetate intragastrically at a rate of 50 mg/kg of body weight once a day for two weeks before the onset of pregnancy and during the whole pregnancy. Intact animals were taken as a control group. The samples of the liver and pancreas of rats on the 1st and 7th day of postnatal development were examined by the transmission electron microscopy. Results and summary. The results show that prenatal exposure to lead causes profound ultrastructural changes in the liver and pancreas of newborn rats. Hepatocytes, sinusoidal architecture, and biliary structures were affected in the liver. The spatial organization of smooth and rough endoplasmic reticulum was found to be a critical target of lead toxicity. Damage to the mitochondrial apparatus was observed in the form of edema and cristae loosening. Perivascular edema, signs of inflammation, and progressive fibrosis of the peripheral parts of the organ were observed in the liver stroma. During the first week of life after prenatal lead exposure, the organization of the rough endoplasmic reticulum and mitochondrial apparatus in the pancreas is disrupted. Stromal changes in the gland, present in the early postnatal period, indicated the involvement of the immune system with the development of chronic inflammation. Thus, prenatal lead acetate exposure leads to significant submicroscopic changes in the liver of newborn rats, characterized by intracellular and sinusoidal remodeling, and also creates conditions for the chronicization of inflammatory processes. Ultrastructural changes in the pancreas in the first week of life of rats include disorders of the synthetic and energy-supplying compartments of acinar cells and the architecture of the exocrine part of the gland, the development of chronic inflammation as the basis for persistent postnatal disruption of digestive enzyme secretion.

References

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Published

2026-03-27

How to Cite

Dovhal , M., & Dovhal , H. (2026). Ultrastructure of the liver and pancreas of rats in the first week of life after prenatal exposure to lead acetate. Морфологія / Morphologia / Morfologìâ, 20(1), 18–25. https://doi.org/10.26641/1997-9665.2026.1.18-25

Issue

Vol. 20 No. 1 (2026)

Section

Статті

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