Morphological condition of the skin following a 4-week opioid exposure in an experimental study.

Abstract

Objective: Aim: The study aimed to determine the peculiarities of the micro- and ultrastructural organization of the skin under conditions of a four-week administration of an opioid to experimental animals.

Patients and methods: Materials and Methods: The study material included skin samples of white rats with injected vascular beds, histological preparations, and ultrathin skin sections. The research methods involved injection techniques, histological analysis, electron microscopy, morphometric measurements, and statistical analysis.

Results: Results: The results of the study revealed that after four weeks of nalbuphine administration to experimental animals, blood stasis was observed in the lumen of the capillaries and venules, along with perivascular edema and perivascular infiltrates consisting of neutrophils, lymphocytes, macrophages, and tissue basophils. The electron density of the nuclei and cytoplasm of the granular layer keratinocytes was reduced, keratinocytes in the stratum spinosum acquired a rounded shape, with some nuclei appearing shrunken and hyperchromatic, and their cytoplasm exhibiting vacuolization. In the reticular layer, thickened bundles of collagen fibers were observed, with localized swelling and fragmentation of the collagen fibers. Excessive formation of scales was noticed in the stratum corneum. The papillary layer of the dermis contained numerous mast cells and lymphocytes near blood vessels. The shape of sebaceous and sweat gland cells was altered, with swollen cytoplasm, and lymphohistiocytic infiltration was observed around them. A decrease (p<0.05) in the density of capillary loops in the subpapillary vascular plexus of the skin in the gluteal region of white rats after four weeks of nalbuphine administration, along with an increase (p>0.5) in the trophic activity index of the skin, confirms profound destructive changes in the vascular architecture of the skin.

Conclusion: Conclusions: Four weeks of nalbuphine administration induces irreversible pathological processes in all skin components.