Morphofunctional organization of the smooth muscle tissue of the rat thoracic duct lymphangions in control and in experimental obstructive jaundice

Smooth muscle tissue (SMT) plays a pivotal role in the regulation of the thoracic duct lymph flow. However, there is not enough data regarding structure"metabolic organization and function of SMT in the thoracic duct, the largest lymph vessel of the body, in health and disease. Little is known about the changes in SMT cellular population in the thoracic duct during obstructive jaundice. The aim of the study was to elucidate the structure-metabolic organization, functioning, and cellular populations in control SMT and during experimental obstructive jaundice in rats. Histological examination, whole mounting staining, alkaline cell dissociation, and spectrophotometry methods were used in the study. The data showed that obstructive jaundice led to the reactive remodeling of the thoracic duct SMT via changes in smooth muscle cell population and lymphangion architectonics; tissue remodeling depended on the duration of exposure to the damaging factors.