Structural Differences in the Pancreas of Rats of Different Ages After Dosed Caloric Restriction

It is known that the activity of the pancreas decreases with age. Thus, the volume of the pancreatic juice and its enzymatic activity as well as the activity of the islet apparatus decreases. Therefore, searching for stimulating factors for pancreatic function is a promising research. One of such promising non-drug methods is dosed restriction of the diet. However, the available literature data are often ambiguous. The age of the animals may affect the interpretation of the data obtained. The aim of our work was to investigate and compare structural changes in the pancreas of rats of different ages that were on a caloric restriction, as well as to assess the feasibility of its use as a prophylactic agent in cases of reduced gland function. The experiments were carried out on 48 male Wistar rats. The age of the animals at the beginning of the experiment was 3 and 15 months old. The experimental animals received a calorie restricted by weight (by 30%) diet for 28 days. Tissue samples were taken from the central part (body) of the pancreas for histological studies. Glucose concentration was determined in blood serum. Morphofunctional signs of increased pancreas activity were revealed in 16-month-old rats fed the restricted diet. First of all, the endocrine function of the gland increased. In 4-month-old animals, the effect of caloric restriction slightly reduced the activity of the exocrine pancreas, but did not change the activity of the endocrine function.A decrease in the amount of connective tissue elements in the pancreas in both young and adult experimental rats was shown. The obtained data can be used for further research into the effectiveness of using dosed caloric restriction in cases of age-related decline in pancreas function.