Influence of combined effect of constant illumination and chronic alcohol intoxication on hepatocyte ultrastructure in male and female Wistar rats

Light pollution causes melatonin deficiency and circadian rhythm disruption. Thus, it is associated with hepatopathy. Circadian rhythm disruption increases liver damage from alcohol and the severity of alcoholism. The aim of the study was to examine the combined effect of constant illumination and chronic alcohol intoxication (CAI) on hepatocyte ultrastructure in male and female rats. Materials and Methods. The study was carried out on 120 male and 80 female Wistar outbred rats aged 6 months. The experiment lasted 3 weeks. Differences in morphological patterns of hepatocyte ultrastructure were visually assessed. The percentage of hepatocytes containing lipid vacuoles was calculated. Results. Constant illumination and chronic alcohol intoxication caused allostasis. Hepatocyte edema, mitochondria swelling, karyopyknosis, fatty degeneration, and hepatocyte death were detected in the liver cells of male and female rats. The above-mentioned pathological changes were less severe in females. Moreover, collagen layers did not proliferate into the liver tissues in female rats. So, we can conclude that the combined effect of constant illumination and CAI do not lead to inflammatory changes and architectural distortion in the liver of female rats. Taking into account the morphological picture of the liver of male and female rats and a number of biochemical parameters that describe its functional state, the obtained data on gender differences in the hepatocyte ultrastructure in rats exposed to CAI and constant illumination allow us to report that hepatocyte adaptation to stress is more successful in female rats than in male ones.