engleski

Fine structure of the rat exorbital gland

Introduction & aim. In the rat, a major lacrimal gland is situated in the close proximity of the external ear and the parotid gland. It is called the exorbital lacrimal gland or gl. Loewenthali. Since there is a lack of data on the fine structure of this gland, we examined the morphological features of this organ at various ages of the rat. Materials & methods. Male Fischer rats were sacrificed at various age (2.5 months, 3 months, 6 months and 9 months), their exorbital glands dissected and processed for transmission electron microscopy. Results. Glandular tissue was composed of lobules divided by the interlobular connective tissue. Within the interlobular tissue, interlobular ducts could be encountered. Each lobule consisted of numerous acini surrounded by the gentle connective tissue, bearing capillaries and small intercalated ducts. Intercalated ducts were lined with simple squamous epithelium. Acini of the gland were composed of several pyramidal cells. The nucleus of the cell was located centrally or towards the basal part of the cell. Occasionally, 2 nuclei within a single cell could be observed. Each nucleus contained several nucleoli. The cytoplasm of the cells had well-developed rough endoplasmic reticulum, Golgi apparatus and mitochondria with cristae. Some cells had an abundant presence of secretory granules, whereas some were devoid of these organelles. Preliminary, no significant difference in the fine structure of the gland was found concerning the various age of rats. Conclusion. It seems that the acini of the rat exorbital gland have 2 types of cells with different appearance of the cytoplasm.

rat; exorbital gland; orchiectomy

nije evidentirano