Endocrine Abstracts

Sodium benzoate (the food additive E211) is widely used as a preservative in the food and pharmaceutical industries. A direct correlation between sodium benzoate intake and the development of sensibilization, nephrotoxicity and hepatotoxicity, disorders of puberty, and genotoxicity has been established. However, the literature does not provide data on changes in morphometric parameters of parathyroid glands after long-term use of sodium benzoate. The aim of this work is to study the effect of 60-day sodium benzoate administration on the histomorphometric parameters of the parathyroid gland in rats. The experiment was performed on 18 white male mature rats divided into three groups. In group 1, animals were injected daily with 1 ml of sodium chloride through a feeding tube for 60 days, in groups 2 and 3, rats were injected with 1 ml of sodium benzoate solution at a dose of 500 mg/kg and 1000 mg/kg, respectively. Histological samples were prepared according to the standard procedure, sections were stained with hematoxylin-eosin and subjected to morphometry. Statistical analysis of the numerical data was performed using the Statistika 5.1 license program. In group 2, we observed a decrease by 1.47% (P>0.05) in the largest size of parathyroid gland in comparison with group 1. The smallest size of the parathyroid gland decreased by 0.84% (P>0.05), the number of nuclei of chief cells per unit section area decreased by 3.58% (P>0.05), the mean diameter of chief cell nuclei decreased by 5.12% (P<0.05), and functional index (number of nuclei of chief cells per unit section area*mean diameter of chief cell nuclei/20) decreased by 5.17% (P<0.05). In group 3, changes in morphometric parameters of the parathyroid gland became more intense. The largest size of parathyroid gland decreased by 2.45% (P>0.05), the smallest size of the parathyroid gland decreased by 2.65% (p>0.05), the number of nuclei of chief cells per unit section area decreased by 5.27% (P<0.05), the mean diameter of chief cell nuclei decreased by 10.12% (P<0.05), and the functional index decreased by 8.11% (P<0.05). 60-day intake of sodium benzoate causes dose-dependent changes in the histomorphometric parameters of the parathyroid glands in rats, which are indicative of their hypofunction.