7-MORPHOLOGICAL AND HISTOCHEMICAL STUDY OF ADRENAL GLAND IN LOCAL DOMESTIC PIGEONS ( Columba livia domestica) IN BASRAH PROVINCE

Abstract

The present study was designated to illustrate the morphological ,histological and histochemical features of adrenal gland of local domestic pigeons(coulumba livia domestica) in Basrah province . Ten adrenal glands used in the studycollected from Karrmat Ali Village, Iraq . Immediately after collection the adrenalglands were subjected for morphological histological and histochemical study. Thestudy revealed that the pigeon have paired small glands located in the abdominalcavity at the anterior pole of the kidneys . The gland was elongated in shape andshowed creamy or grayish in color. Histologically , the glands was unsheathed withthin fibro – elastic connective tissue capsule containing many blood vessels . Thecortical tissues were arranged into two zones; peripheral (sub capsular) and inner(central). The cells of sub capsular are arranged in curved cord , each cord hadpolyhedral acidophilic cells. On the other hand, the histological examination of thecortex of adrenal glands contains autonomic ganglia associated with glandular capsule,contains nerve cells and fibers. The inner cortical cells showed straight and curvedcords in longitudinal sections, each composed of two types of cells acidophilc cellsand chromaffin cells .The Histochemical study revealed presence lipids droplets inthe gland , in addition to elastic fibers in the capsules and among the cells of glands .