Correction of morphofunctional changes in mice thymus and spleen by Rhaponticum uniflorum (L.) DC. extract at cyclophosphamide immunosupression

Abstract

The aim of the study is to evaluate the effect of R. uniflorum dry extract on morphofunctional state of mice thymus and spleen at cyclophosphamide immunosuppression.
Materials and methods. The experiments were carried out on F1 (CBAxC57Bl/6) mice 18–20 g of weight. Immune deficiency was simulated by a single intraperitoneal introduction of cyclophosphamide in the dose 250 mg/kg. R. uniflorum dry extract in the dose 100 mg/kg was administered per os for 14 days. The thymus and spleen were fixed for histological studies on day 16. The thymus total area, the cortex and medulla area, the connective tissue capsule thickness, the spleen white and red pulp area were used to measure on micropreparations stained with hematoxylineosin and azure-eosin. The cell density and the cellular composition were calculated in the thymus cortical substance.
Results. The R. uniflorum extract increased the thymus total area and the corticomedullary index by 37 and 26 % (p ≤ 0.05), respectively. The cells density increased in the cortical substance, it decreased in the medulla, as a result “layer inversion” is not observed in any animal of the experimental group. The number of proliferating lymphocytes, blasts and large lymphocytes increased; the number of destructive cells and macrophages decreased in the cortical substance. The spleen white pulp relative volume was 39 % higher than in the control.
Conclusions. The R. uniflorum dry extract had an immunocorrective effect on the thymus and spleen morphofunctional state at cyclophosphamid immunosuppression.