The effect of meldonium on proliferation and vimentin-positive liver cells during physical activity of varying degrees
Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: Regular moderate physical activity improves liver health, while excessively prolonged exercise has adverse effects on cells. Understanding the cellular mechanisms underlying liver injury and recovery after varying degrees of physical activity is important for developing effective therapeutic strategies. Aim: study of the number of binuclear cells, markers of cell proliferation, and the specific area of vimentin-positive cells in the liver during physical exertion of varying intensity and after taking meldonium. Methods. The experiments were conducted on male Wistar rats, which were subjected to physical activity of varying intensity. The animals of the first series swam for 15 minutes. The rats of the second series spent 30 minutes in the bath; this activity was considered moderate. To simulate heavy physical activity (the third series), the animals swam in the bath until they began to lose strength and drown. This usually occurred 55-59 minutes after the animals were in the water. To compare the results, three control (experimental) series of rats were used (8 per series), which also performed similar activity of varying intensity; meldonium was added to the food throughout the experiment (10 days) at the rate of 100-120 mg/kg of weight. The animals of all series completed 10 sessions of water loading, after which they were taken out of the experiment immediately after the last session and 30 days after the end of the experiments. After the animals were removed from the experiment, the liver was removed, paraffin blocks were prepared, stained with hematoxylin and eosin, and immunohistochemical studies were performed. Results. The study revealed that after 10 days of using meldonium and 30 days after the experiment in all series in which meldonium was used, the morphological structure of the liver was similar to the liver of intact animals. With light and moderate physical activity, mitotically dividing cells were determined, cells in different phases of the cell cycle were encountered; the number of binuclear cells, the mitotic index, and the alteration index were within the values of the intact series. In animals with heavy physical exertion involving meldonium, 30 days after the experiment, an increase in the number of binuclear cells was noted, vimenti-positive cells appeared, the alteration index was reduced in comparison with the indicators of animals in which meldonium was not used. Conclusion. During heavy physical activity with the use of meldonium, recovery processes are observed with an increase in the proportion of binuclear hepatocytes, mitoses, cell proliferation (Ki-67), a change in the specific area of vimentin with a simultaneous decrease in alterative processes.
Author: O. V. Alpidovskaja
Institution: Chuvash State University
Language: English
Subfield: Physiology (medical)
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: hybrid
OpenAlex ID: W7225591822