Morphological study of hepatic megakaryocytopoiesis in New Zeland white rabbits during intrauterine and postnatal development

ABSTRACT

We studied hepatic megakaryocytopoiesis in New Zeland White rabbits during the intrauterine phase and after birth. Sixt females were sacrificed, two of them on the 15(th) day of pregnancy for embryo liver collection, and two on the 22(nd) and 29(th) day of pregnancy for fetus embryo collection. Six other females were allowed to complete gestation and liver of newborn rabbits was obtained on the 10(th), 21(st) and 32(nd) day after birth. Morphologically, the megakaryocytes presented scarce to abundant cytoplasm, with staining affinity ranging from slightly basophilic acidophilic. Masson trichrome staining revealed a large reddish and irregular nucleus (oval, reniform, karyokinetic and lobulated) with loose to dense chromatin and with a visible number of nucleoli depending on the chromatin pattern.