Ultrastructural changes of pancreas of white rats after experimental administration of ethanol and cephalexin.

The experiment was carried out on Wistar rat males weighting about 200 g. Animals from experimental group I received 20% ethanol for drinking (ad libitum), animals from experimental group II--cephalexin in the dose of 42 mg/24 h, animals from experimental group III--cephalexin and ethanol in the mentioned doses. After 10 days the animals were decapitated and pancreases were collected for ultrastructural examinations in electron microscope. The performed experiments showed that 10-day administration of ethanol causes mainly the decrease of amount of ribosomes and zymogen granules in pancreatic exocrine cells, whereas cephalexin causes increase of amount of these organelles. Administration of both ethanol and cephalexin causes reversible degenerative changes including distinct decreasing of the number of ribosomes, swelling of many mitochondria and the presence of myelinic structures inside cells.