Background: The function governs the structure and a change can be produced experimentally by changing the physiological status. Starvation either produced experimentally, psychologically, or pathologically in conditions such as anorexia nervosa or certain obstructive tumours of oesophagus, or nonavailability of food due to any other means is likely to alter the physiology of the individual.
Objective: To study the effect of starvation in gastric mucosa in albino rats experimentally.
Materials and Methods: An experimental work to study the effects of starvation in albino rats has been carried out. The albino rats weighing 100120 gm belonging to same strain from the Government Veterinary College, Jabalpur, have been used. The rats have been divided into four groups. One group has been used as a control and the remaining three groups have been subjected to starvation. The samples of three parts of stomach (viz. fundus, body, and pyloric part) have been removed and studied histologically using hematoxylin and eosin stains.
Result: After 7 days of starvation, no appreciable changes are observed in all the three constituents of mucous membrane. After 14 days of starvation, gastric pits are partially destroyed and mucous cells toward the base have their outline distorted and it is difficult to make out the details of most of the cells. Shredding of mucous membrane is observed. After 21 days of starvation, the columnar cells of the epithelium of gastric pits have lost their normal appearance. The phenomenon of shrinkage is more prominent in the basal part of the gastric glands.
Conclusion: It is difficult to keep the majority of rats alive after the second week of starvation because the work was carried out during hot climate (summer). The mucous lining of the stomach under goes fragmentation. The gastric glands undergo shrinkage and fragmentation.
Key words: Stomach, starvation, gastric mucosa
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