Objectives: Fasting is a stres that causes morphological and functional disorder in gastrointestinal tract. The aim of this study was to investigate fasting and refeeding induced structural damage on rats stomach tissues.

Materials and Methods: Thirty six adult Wistar male rats used in this study. Rats were divided six groups. Group I: Control, Group II: rats were fasted for seven days, Group III: refeeded rats for a days after fasting, Group IV: refeeded rats for three days after fasting, Group V: refeeded rats for five days after fasting, Group VI: refeeded rats for seven days after fasting. At the end of the experiment rats were decapitated under the cetamin anesthesia. Stomach tissues observed under light microscope after routine histological series.

Results: At the stomach tissues of rats were fasted for seven days, foamy appearence and dilatation of the lumens of some gastric glads, lymphocyte and eosinophilic cell infiltration in the lamina propria and submucosa, erosion and desquamation of the surface epithelium on the apical mucosa were observed. After refeeding structural disorder on apical mucosa of the stomach, dilatation of the lumens of gastric glands and eosinophilic cell infiltration reduced by degrees. On fasted groups staining with PAS were reduced. However, refeeding exhibited similar staining to the control rats.

Conclusion: It is determined that fasting leads to structural changes in the stomach mucosa. However, refeeding after fasting recovers these changes by degrees. ©2005, Fırat Üniversitesi, Tıp Fakültesi