The morphofuncional changes in internal organs and biochemical indicators during whole-body hypothermia

The article presents experimental study of whole-body hypothermia-induced changes in the morphofunctional status of internal organs and certain biochemical parameters in rats. The assessments of the morphological indicators in the brain, liver, and kidneys were performed every 60 min during eight hours after the beginning of the low temperature exposure. Data showed that the presence and severity of the pathomorphological changes in the internal organs as well as the values of certain biochemical parameters in non-lethal hypothermia depended on the duration of the exposure to low temperatures more than on the temperature itself. The morphological changes in the examined organs indicative of their involvement in the adaptive responses of body to cold were interrelated and developed in parallel, but not simultaneously.