Роль звездчатых клеток поджелудочной железы в регенерации органа на фоне медь-дефицитной диеты у крыс

The possibility of pancreatic cells transdifferentiation to hepatocyte-like cells in rat copper depletion-repletion model has been shown in a number of articles. The aim of our research was to study the role of pancreatic stellate cells in pancreas regeneration in the above mentioned model. 24 male Wistar rats were fed a copper-deficient diet, containing triethylenetetramine tetrahydrochloride, for a period of 8 weeks, then animals were returned to the normal rat chow for up to a period of 8 weeks. Animals were killed at the end of 4, 6, 8 weeks of copper-deficient diet and 4, 6, 8 weeks after they were returned to normal diet. Paraffin-embedded sections of pancreas were stained immunohistochemically with antibodies to desmin, the pancreatic stellate cells marker. The acinar tissue structure destruction was observed starting from the period of 4 weeks of copper-deficient diet. Partial acinar restoration was observed 6 and 8 weeks after rats were returned to the normal balanced rat chaw. An increase in the number of desmin-positive stellate cells both in pancreatic acinar tissue and in islets was observed at all periods of experiment. Along with the partial acinar tissue recovery desmin-positive cells were found mainly in areas of newly formed pancreatic tissue.