Morphological and histological study of the liver in migratory starling bird (Sturnus vulgaris)

Abstract

The present work was aimed to form the baseline data of normal morphological and histological structure features of liver in migratory starling (Sturnus vulgaris). Anatomically, the starling liver bird was dark red -brown in colour and located in the cranial third of the abdominal cavity and consisted of undivided lobes (left and right). The liver right lobe was larger than the left. Histological examination revealed that the liver parenchyma was covered by a connective tissue capsule which appears to be thicker in the rim of liver lobes than other area in the liver lobe. Liver parenchyma was arranged in an unlimited hepatic lobules, which composed of polygonal hepatocytes organized as irregular, radial interconnecting cords or laminae of one or two cells thickness around a central vein and separated by blood sinusoids. In the boundary of each lobule showed a portal area which consists of a branch of hepatic artery; one or more branches of hepatic vein and one to four branches of the bile duct which lining by cuboidal cells that characterized by their empty non-staining cytoplasm. The histochemical observation by using PAS staining in the current study revealed that the glycogen granules arranged close to the central vein and in the rim of liver lobules.The present work was aimed to form the baseline data of normal morphological and histological structure features of liver in migratory starling (Sturnus vulgaris). Anatomically, the starling liver bird was dark red -brown in colour and located in the cranial third of the abdominal cavity and consisted of undivided lobes (left and right). The liver right lobe was larger than the left. Histological examination revealed that the liver parenchyma was covered by a connective tissue capsule which appears to be thicker in the rim of liver lobes than other area in the liver lobe. Liver parenchyma was arranged in an unlimited hepatic lobules, which composed of polygonal hepatocytes organized as irregular, radial interconnecting cords or laminae of one or two cells thickness around a central vein and separated by blood sinusoids. In the boundary of each lobule showed a portal area which consists of a branch of hepatic artery; one or more branches of hepatic vein and one to four branches of the bile duct which lining by cuboidal cells that characterized by their empty non-staining cytoplasm. The histochemical observation by using PAS staining in the current study revealed that the glycogen granules arranged close to the central vein and in the rim of liver lobules. Keywords: Birds, Liver morphology, liver histology.