Structural Features of Ascending Aorta Wall in Premature Born Rats

Abstract

Preterm birth has a pronounced effect on all body systems, including the cardiovascular system, which undergoes significant adaptive changes in the early postnatal period of ontogenesis. A comprehensive understanding of the consequences of preterm birth is essential to ensure early prevention, detection and treatment of long-term adverse health effects. The aim of our study was to evaluate the effect of preterm birth on the structure of the wall of the ascending aorta in preterm rats. The paper presents the results of histological and morphometric analysis of ascending aorta wall in Wistar rats born on the 21st and 21.5 days of pregnancy (the total gestation period is 22 days). In ascending aorta wall of preterm born rats, signs of elastolysis and a violation of the parallelism of the elastic fenestrated membranes are found. It has been shown that preterm birth leads to a decrease in the specific volume of elastic fibers and an increase in collagen fibers in the meddle shell of ascending aorta wall in prematurely born rats.