Morphofunctional characteristics of connective tissue in emotionally stressed august and wistar rats

August rats, which are predisposed to emotional stress, are shown to differ from Wistar rats, which are not so predisposed, in the morphofunctional organization of lymphoid and connective tissues. In August as compared to Wistar rats, the lymphoid tissue of the spleen, trachea, bronchi, intestine, and lymph nodes is less abundant, the pancreatic insular apparatus is developed much better, and loose connective tissue contains more mast cells without signs of degranulation. Emotional stress leads, in both strains, to strong connective tissue congestion, massive hemorrhages, edema of loose connective tissue in the renal medullary substance and in the liver, focal or focal/confluent connective tissue metachromasia, and progressive mast cell degranulation. These changes are all more pronounced in August rats. Translated fromByulleten' Eksperimental'noi Biologii i Meditsiny, Vol. 119, N ^o 6, pp. 571–573, June, 1995