Histological and Immunohistochemical Investigation of Pancreatic Buffaloes

Abstract

This study was done to describe distribution of endocrine and exocrine pancreatic cells in water buffalo. Hence, a total of 25 fresh pancreas samples were collected from slaughtered adult buffaloes in Al-Diwaniyah slaughterhouses (Al-Qadisiyah, Iraq), and then washed, processed, stained and examined. The findings revealed that there were a compound tubulo-acina and lobulated gland surrounded with thin connective tissue capsule, blood arteries, nerves, lymphatic vessels, adipose cells with collagen and elastic fibers. The endocrine tissue, islets of langerhans, displayed clear regular structure immersed within the acinar tissue and delineated by well define delicate connective tissue that contain blood vessels which give the islets spherical shape. The connective tissue involved in separating the endocrine tissue from exocrine. The abundant beta cells appeared normal, rounded to polygonal and stained blue. The smaller number of alpha cells took round to oval shape and almost stained red in color with distinct nuclei. The exocrine sections of the gland were the largest, and these glands were tubuloacinur glands, and each acinus consisted form single layer of large glandular pyramidal shaped epithelial cells resting on basement membrane, the acinar cells contained spherical nucleus basally near the basement membrane, and these cells had large, spherical and homogenous zymogens granules accumulate the cytoplasm in apex. Pancreatic endocrine cells were seen as groups, and separated from exocrine units by very thin layer of connective tissue that completely surrounded the islets. There was a large network of blood capillaries around the islets, and each islet has its own capillary network that is in communication with every other islet. Endocrine cells had an uneven branched cord-like structure that is mixed in with blood arteries. Immunohistichemical examination in the present finding elucidated the Langerhans islets in the pancreas of buffaloes via the using of glucagon and insulin antibody, and detected that the immune reaction varied in density in the islets of pancreas in their two lobes. The immunohistochemical reaction for glucagon and insulin was found three types of islets in the pancreas; alpha (dark), beta (light) and mixed islets. In conclusion, the studying of buffalo animal as it is one of the local economic animals, and comparing between the tissue structure of pancreas of all animals and relationships between them are recommended.