Structural and functional state of the thymus glands of fur-bearing animals depending on age and intensity of the reproductive period

The aim of the study was to study the morphological features of the thymus gland in fur-bearing animals with age and the intensity of reproductive processes in postnatal ontogenesis. The results of the study showed that there is no total involution of the organ in the body of foxes and its functional abilities are preserved throughout the reproductive period. With an increase in the age of foxes, changes occur in the organ not only in the parenchyma, but also in the stroma, associated in the parenchyma with a decrease in the number of lymphoid cells and an increase in the percentage of epithelioreticulocytes, plasmocytes, macrophages, tissue basophils and destructive cellular elements. In the stroma of the organ, with increasing age of foxes, there is a thickening of the capsule and interlobular partitions with a qualitative change in their structure due to coarsening of fibers and an increasing number of lipocytes.