HISTOLOGICAL AND HISTOCHEMICAL STUDY OF VESICULAR GLAND IN IMMATURE AND MATURE LOCAL BREED DONKEY (EQUUS ASINUS)

A total of ten samples of vesicular glands of immature and mature donkey were used. The histochemical parameters involved the general cytoarchitecture, thickness of fibro muscular tunica, diameters of lobules, diameters of alveoli, and epithelial height in addition the type and pH of glandular secretions of gland. Tissues were processed with paraffin technique and stained with Hematoxylin and Eosin stain and combine Alcian blue stain (pH 2.5)-PAS stain. The immature vesicular gland was surrounded by very thick tunica muscularis that measured 354.48 ± 6.27 µm. The immature glandular lobule was measured 271.18 ± 4.73 µm in diameter, composes of simple mucosal folds that forming anastomosis feature and few alveoli which measured 78.39 ± 3.59 µm in diameter. The immature alveoli lined by simple cubiodal epithelium which measured 3.46 ± 0.1 µm. The laminal propria of mucosal folds was composed of thin loose connective showed fibroblasts and fibrocytes. The mature vesicular gland was highly lobulated tubular gland which surrounded by slight thick muscular wall that measure was 213.25 ± 4.51 µm, the paranchyma of gland divided into numerous variable size lobules that significantly measured 436.20 ± 3.59 µm in diameter. The mature lobule composed of numeroius variable sizes alveoli that significantly measured 115.81 ± 2.60 µm in diameter. The mature alveoli lined by simple cubiodal-columnar epithelium that consisted of secretory cells, peg cells and basal cells, the secretory cells. Inter-lobular septa were composed of thick bundles of collagenous tissue. With Alcian blue (pH 2.5) stain, the histochemical sections of gland with combine Alcian blue-PAS stain revealed that the epithelial cells contain neutral secretory product. The statistical analysis revealed significant differences between the length, width and weight of theses glands in mature and those of immature donkey.