Morphological features of the wall of common bile duct under the conditions of experimental opioid exposure

Abstract

The morphological condition of the bile ducts remains one of the most important problems of modern medical science. In order to obtain an analgesic effect in patients with acute cholangitis, opioids are often used. However, information on the effectiveness of opioids in the treatment of pathological conditions of the bile ducts is contradictory. The rapidly progressive destruction of the intrahepatic bile ducts associated with the use of narcotic agents has been described. Further study of the effect of opioids on the structural organization of the common bile duct is relevant. In order to establish the morphological state of the common bile duct under conditions of long-term opioid exposure, a study was performed on 24 sexually mature white male rats, aged 3.5-5.0 months and weighing 180-200 g, which were injected intramuscularly with Nalbuphine for 6 weeks. The study material is represented by histological specimens of the common bile duct of white rats. The “Aver Media” computer system was used to photograph microspecimens. The “ImageJ” computer program was used to measure the diameter of the lumen and the wall thickness of the common bile duct. After 2 weeks of Nalbuphine administration to white rats, plethora of wall microvessels and a significant increase in the longitudinal diameter of the lumen of the common bile duct were observed. After 4 weeks of the experiment, the common bile duct was dilated, the transverse and longitudinal diameters of its lumen almost doubled, pathological changes in its wall had all the signs of inflammation. In the later stages of the experiment (introduction of Nalbuphine for 6 weeks), the pathological changes increased and manifested by destructuring the wall of the common bile duct, disorganization of cholangiocytes, thinning of the cell layer due to detachment of cholangiocytes, polymorphism of their nuclei, destruction of intercellular junctions, stratification of its own plate, vacuolar dystrophy of the muscular membrane “varicose” expansion of venules, significant smooth muscle hyperplasia of arterioles, the presence of perivascular lymphocytic infiltrates in the duct wall.