Abstract
<jats:p>Stress alopecia is a common problem of our time, which is aggravated by prolonged psycho-emotional stress. It negatively affects the physical and psychological state of a person, and existing correction methods do not always take into account the role of nutrition. Therefore, a promising direction is the development of dietary approaches for the prevention and support of hair restoration. The aim of the work was to investigate the effect of a modified diet on morphofunctional changes in the skin in experimental stress alopecia. The study was performed on female Wistar rats, in which stress-induced alopecia was modeled. A specially modified diet was used for correction, which included sources of natural antioxidants and nutrients aimed at stabilizing and active regeneration of damaged structures. Material for microscopic studies was collected according to the generally accepted method. Skin samples were stained with hematoxylin and eosin. After microscopic examination of the skin of animals subjected to destructive effects, it was found that in individuals whose diet did not change, the epidermis was unevenly atrophied, in places complete atrophy was pronounced (1-2 layers of cells), signs of sclerotic changes with the onset of fibrosis were found in the hypodermis. Infiltration by macrophages containing hemosiderin grains and focal accumulations of xanthoma cells were found. Downy hair was almost absent. A large number of guard hairs in the catagen and telogen phases were found. At the same time, there were areas with groups of hair follicles with degenerative-atrophic and dystrophic changes, pulled up to the epidermis, in the absence of corresponding hair bulbs at the border of the dermis and hypodermis. The condition of the skin structures of animals that regularly consumed the appropriate list of nutrients was significantly better: no significant changes were found in the epidermis, but in the hypodermis, angiomatosis phenomena with uneven moderate infiltration by macrophages and signs of a fibroblastic reaction were detected. The hair appendages were represented mainly by guard hair in the catagen and telogen phases, but downy hair was also present. In the vast majority of rats that underwent diet therapy, hair follicles had a normal location and remained functionally active. In a state of chronic stress, free radicals are actively formed in the body, which have a destructive effect on rapidly proliferating cells, in particular, hair follicles. Thus, a modified diet with antioxidant and nutritional support reduces dystrophic changes in the skin and preserves the functional activity of hair follicles in stress alopecia.</jats:p>