Abstract

Various stress factors, particularly when acting simultaneously, trigger damaging mechanisms across multiple organs, including the hypothalamic-hypophyseal neurosecretory system (HHNS). These effects disrupt metabolism, cause organ dysfunction, and lead to irreversible structural changes in HHNS organs such as the pituitary gland, altering hormone production and worsening systemic disorders.This experimental study aimed to assess morphofunctional changes in the adenohypophysis under combined hypobaric hypoxia and Staphylococcus aureus infection. Rats were intraperitoneally inoculated with S. aureus and kept for 15–30 days in a hypobaric chamber simulating an altitude of 2000–3000 m. Adenohypophyseal tissues were examined using histological, histochemical, electron-microscopic, and morphometric methods. By day 15, marked disturbances were observed in the ratio of acidophilic, basophilic, and chromophobic adenocytes due to cellular destruction and atrophy—changing from 29:9:62 (normal) to 22:5:73. Chromophobes predominated, with a 17.9% increase in epithelial cells with clear cytoplasm. Compared with controls, chromophobes rose by 19.8%, while acidophils and basophils decreased by 26.6% and 53.2% (p = 0.001). Morphometry confirmed atrophy: the mean area and diameter of acidophils decreased to 64.4 µm² and 9.08 µm, basophils to 85.6 µm² and 10.4 µm, and chromophobes to 47.6 µm² and 7.79 µm. By day 30, reductions persisted. Thus, combined hypoxia and infection cause progressive dystrophic and atrophic damage in adenohypophyseal cells, characterized by vacuolization, disorganization, and depletion of chromophilic cells and secretory granules, leading to glandular parenchymal exhaustion and disrupted pituitary structure.