Some Histochemical and Morphometric Observations on the Liver of the Dromedary Camel (Camelus dromedarius)

Abstract

The objectives of this study were to investigate some histochemical components and to conduct morphometrical study on the liver of the camel. Ten livers of adult dromedary camels were used. The distribution of glycogen throughout the hepatic tissue has been studied with the use of either Best^’s carmine, or Periodic Acid Schiff reagent (PAS). The glycogen content of the liver varied from animal to animal, and among lobes and lobules within the same liver. The left lobe and quadrate lobe contained more glycogen than the right and the caudate lobes. In some lobes, the lobules adjacent to subcapsular region of the liver had a larger amount of glycogen compared to the lobules located far from the capsule. Moreover, the cells located directly under the capsule showed intensely stained masses of glycogen. The hepatocytes contained numerous lipid droplets as demonstrated by the modified method of Lillie Ashbrun's Isopropanol Oil Red. The number of lipid droplets varied from moderate to numerous in the hepatocytes of all livers examined. The distribution of the glycogen and lipid showed a distinct lobular pattern; where the hepatocytes located at the peripheral zones of the lobules contained by far more of these two substances than the centrolobular cells. The mean absolute volume of the fresh liver was about 6692 cm³. Morphometric data of the components of the liver as percentages from the absolute volume were as follows; the hepatocytes (79.60%), the blood vessels and hepatic sinusoids (12.38%), the connective tissue (7.70%), and the bile duct and ductules (0.30%). The morphometric analysis indicated that the left hepatic lobe had the largest amount of connective tissue. Also the left lobe and quadrate lobe presented a high percentage of blood supply.