[Morphofunctional state of the digestive tract in the early stages of atherosclerosis].

Cholesterol, alpha- and beta-lipoproteids, serotonin were determined in the blood serum of dogs which were on atherogenic diet for 2 months. The serotonin content was examined in various parts of the gastrointestinal tract (GIT). Parallel studies of the structural changes were carried out in the vascular system (VS) and various parts of the GIT. There was found a direct correlation between a rise in the cholesterol and serotonin level in the blood and serotonin in the GIT tissues. The initial stages of atherosclerotic changes were revealed in the vascular system. Along with compensatory-adaptive changes detected in the duodenum and the upper protions of the small intestine, initial stages of dystrophic-atrophic processes were observed in the lower portions. Comparative analysis of biochemical and morphological data indicated that disturbances of the morphofunctional state in the GIT played an important role in the genesis of the early stages of atherosclerosis.