Year 2011 - Volume 31, Number 12


Title
Histology, histochemistry and histometry of the intestine of Cayman yacare bred in captivity, 31(12):1120-1128
Authors

Abstract
ABSTRACT.- Aleixo V.M., Pressinoti L.N., Campos D.V.S., Menezes-Aleixo R.C. & Ferraz R.H.S. 2011. [Histology, histochemistry and histometry of the intestine of Cayman yacare bred in captivity.] Histologia, histoquímica e histometria do intestino de jacaré-do-Pantanal criado em cativeiro. Pesquisa Veterinária Brasileira 31(12):1120-1128. Departamento de Ciências Básicas e Produção Animal, Universidade Federal de Mato Grosso, Cuiabá, MT 78060-900, Brazil. E-mail: rhsferraz@ufmt.br

Commercial breeding of Caiman yacare has been consolidated in the state of Mato Grosso, Brazil, as an alternative and legal activity for rural properties in the area of its natural occurrence, to restrain predatory hunting and for preservation of the species. Rationalization of the production process in alligator breading is a relatively new action, which allows a better skin quality and integral use, different from the production of skins from animals in nature. Considering the importance of the intestines as being the main place of the major events related to nutrients obtainment for the body metabolism, this study aimed to characterize qualitative and quantitatively the mucosa of the small and large intestine of young C. yacare. For the characterization of the intestinal wall structure in optical microscopy and histometry of the mucosa were collected intestinal samples from 16 animals, three of which were also used for the histochemical study. The samples were obtained from five regions, four from the small intestine and one from the large intestine. They were fixed in Bouin solution and processed according to the techniques recommended for paraffin inclusion. Semiserial histological sections (about four micrometers) were obtained and the specimen was deparaffinized, hydrated, and stained with hematoxylin-eosin for the general description and histometric study, which consisted of measuring the frequency of intestinal villi, lengths of epithelium and lamina propria of the mucosa, and mucosal thickness. In the statistical analysis was applied the variance analysis and Tukey test. For the histochemistry study were used the reaction to periodic acid-Schiff, alcian blue pH 1.0 counterstained with hematoxylin and alcian blue pH 2.5 conjugated to the periodic acid-Schiff. For description of the histological structures was used the terminology available in the Histological Nomina .The wall structure of the small and large intestine of the C. yacare was formed by mucosa, muscular and serosa tunics. The mucosal consisted of lining epithelium type simple cylindrical formed by columnar epithelial cells and goblet cells; lamina propria of loose connective tissue and a single layer of muscularis mucosa. The muscular tunic consisted of two stratums, the circular and the longitudinal, being the circular stratum more developed. The serosa was typical. The specializations of the mucosa observed in the small and large intestines respectively, were intestinal villi and folds, and along the regions of the intestines, showed a reduction of its complexity. The histometric study of the mucosa showed statistically significant difference between the small and large intestines. Although the structure of the intestinal wall of C. yacare is similar to other crocodilians, the green turtle and the ostrich, it’s still necessary studies about the histophysiology that the nutritional management of the species in captivity be incremented.
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