Lymph nodes in the head region of rabbits, as key components of the peripheral immune system, play a crucial role in lymph filtration and initiation of the adaptive immune response. Despite the widespread use of rabbits in biomedical research, data on their micromorphology-particularly in the context of sexual dimorphism and regional variations-remain fragmented. In this study, a detailed morphometric analysis of the structure of the lateral retropharyngeal, mandibular, and caudal sublingual lymph nodes was performed in clinically healthy, sexually mature rabbits (n = 15), using histological staining techniques (hematoxylin-eosin, Van Gieson) and statistical data processing. It was found that in males, the diameters of large and medium-sized arteries were significantly greater (by 3.72-8.52%) than in females, whereas small arteries were wider in females (by 3.48-12.24%). The parenchymal area (cortex, paracortical zone, medulla) was also significantly larger in males, with differences ranging from 4.23% to 12.96% depending on the zone and node location. The greatest sexual dimorphism was observed in the mandibular and lateral retropharyngeal nodes, while the least was found in the caudal sublingual nodes. These findings indicate pronounced sexual and regional variability in lymphoid tissue structure, likely driven by hormonal regulation and functional demands of the immune system. The results have practical relevance for veterinary diagnostics, comparative histology, and experimental design using rabbits as model animals, and also open new perspectives for studying mechanisms of sexual dimorphism in the mammalian immune system.
lymph nodes, rabbit, head, neck, parenchyma, medulla, paracortical zone, cortex
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