[Morphological changes in the digestive organs during prolonged space flight on the Kosmos-782 biosatellite]

A reduction in the content of neutral mucopolysaccharides in mucous cells of the neck, a slight decrease in the activity of succinate dehydrogenase and NAD-diaphorase in parietal cells, a decrease in the DNA synthesis rate, and an increase in the area of mitochondria and cristae were detected in the gastric mucosa of rats which were in a long-term space flight. In the small intestine, an increase in the activity of glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase and leucine aminopeptidase were found. Morphological changes in the liver consisted in infiltrative adiposity. A similar morphological picture was demonstrated in a synchronous experiment on the earth. These changes, however, were nonspecific and reversible (25 days after rehabilitation the picture did not differ from the animal house control).