Morphological and histochemical features of the digestive tract of Leiarius marmoratus (Gill, 1870).

Leiarius marmoratus, a freshwater catfish from Pimelodidae family, shows great biological and commercial relevance because of its geographic distribution and adaptation to fish-farm. The knowledge of the morphological characteristics of the digestive tract is fundamental to the understanding of fish physiology and nutrition, which helps in the planning of diets to provide better management and success in fish farming. Thus, this work described the morphology and histochemistry of the digestive tract of L. marmoratus adults. After euthanasia, the animals were dissected for analysis of the digestive tract. The oesophagus is a short and distensive organ with longitudinal folds that allow the passage of large food, e.g., other fishes. Oesophageal mucosa layer shows a stratified epithelium with goblet cells and club cells. The secretion of goblet cells is composed of neutral and acidic mucins that are anchored in the epithelium luminal face by epithelial cells fingerprint-like microridges, lubricating the surface to facilitate the food sliding. Club cells have protein secretion that can be involved in alarm signals when epithelium is damaged and in immunological defence. The saccular stomach is highly distensible to store large food. Gastric mucosa layer is composed of epithelial cells with intense secretion of neutral mucin to protect against self-digestion of gastric juice. Cardiac and fundic regions of stomach show well-developed gastric glands composed of oxynticopeptic cells. These cells have numerous mitochondria, highlighting their intense activity in the synthesis of acid and enzymes. The intestine is divided into three regions: anterior, middle and posterior. Although it is a short tube, intestine shows longitudinal folds and microvilli of enterocytes to increase the contact surface. These folds are higher in the anterior region of the intestine, highlighting their function in digestion and absorption. Intestinal goblet cells have acidic and neutral mucins that lubricate the epithelium and aid in digestive processes. These cells increase in number towards aboral, and they are related to the protection and lubrication to expulsion of faecal bolus.

Myocardium Arrangement and Coronary Vessel Distribution in the Ventricle of Three Neotropical Freshwater Teleosts.

The ventricle of the fish heart is a chamber that exhibits great morphological and vascular variability among species. However, although the Neotropical region has the greatest taxonomic and functional diversity in freshwater fish, many considerations have been formed without previous knowledge of the ventricular morphology of these fishes. Thus, the purpose of the present study was to describe the anatomy, myoarchitecture, and distribution of coronary vessels in the ventricle of three species belonging to two representative groups from this geographical area, Leporinus elongatus, Hoplias malabaricus (Characiformes) and Pterodoras granulosus (Siluriformes), using gross anatomy and light microscopy. The species L. elongatus and H. malabaricus presented a pyramidal ventricle associated to a mixed myocardium, formed by compact and spongy layers. The mixed myocardium was also observed in P. granulosus, but associated with a sac-like ventricle. The compact layer of the species studied was formed by muscular bundles in longitudinal and circular disposition. The spongy layer constituted most of the ventricular myocardium and was formed by a complex network of trabecular sheets presenting muscle fibers also in longitudinal and circular disposition. Coronary vessels were present in the three species and were observed primarily on the surface of the bulbus arteriosus, later branching on the ventricular surface and penetrating the myocardium only at the compact layer level. These characteristics allow classification of the ventricles studied as type II. Although the type I ventricle is the most common type in teleosts, it is important to emphasize that this type has not been observed in any Neotropical freshwater teleosts studied to date.

Acid and alkaline phosphatase localization in the digestive tract mucosa of the Hemisorubim platyrhynchos.

This cytochemical study investigated the acid and alkaline phosphatase of the digestive tract of Hemisorubim platyrhynchos. Acid phosphatase was detected in the lining epithelium throughout the digestive tract, whereas alkaline phosphatase was only observed in the intestine. In the esophagus, an acid phosphatase reaction occurred in the apical cytoplasm of the epithelial cells and was related to epithelial protection and freeing of superficial cells for sloughing. Similar results were also observed in epithelial cells of gastric epithelium. In the gastric glands, acid phosphatase occurred in lysosomes of the oxynticopeptic cells acting in the macromolecule degradation for use as an energy source, whereas in the vesiculotubular system, its presence could be related to secretion processes. Furthermore, acid phosphatase in the intestine occurred in microvilli and lysosomes of the enterocytes and was correlated to absorption and intracellular digestion. However, no difference was reported among the regions of the intestine. However, alkaline phosphatase reaction revealed a large number of reaction dots in the anterior intestine, with the number decreasing toward the posterior intestine. This enzyme has been related to several functions, highlighting its role in the nutrient absorption primarily in the anterior intestine but also being essential in pH regulation because this is a carnivorous species with many gastric glands with secretions that could damage the intestine.

Ultrastructure of the digestive tract in neotropical carnivorous catfish Hemisorubim platyrhynchos (Valenciennes, 1840) (Siluriformes, Pimelodidae).

The surface of the digestive tract of Hemisorubim platyrhynchos was analyzed by scanning electron microscopy. Morphometric studies by transmission electron microscopy were performed to analysis the intestinal microvilli. H. platyrhynchos is a Neotropical carnivorous freshwater catfish featuring a short digestive tract composed of a short esophagus, saccular stomach, and intestine with four regions: anterior, middle, posterior, and rectal. The esophageal surface is constituted by fingerprint-like microridges that anchor the mucosubstances secreted by goblet cells facilitating the passage of food. Goblet cells present the opening to the esophageal lumen, between the microridges. Club cells are in basal epithelium and they do not present the opening to the lumen. The gastric luminal surface shows polygon-shaped epithelial cells which secrete granules by exocytose to protect the gastric surface. The intestinal luminal surface reveals folds that are thicker in the anterior intestine than in the posterior intestine, increasing the absorptive surface area. The intestinal surface presents the microvilli of enterocytes and the opening of goblet cells. The morphometric analysis showed that the microvilli are longer in the anterior intestine, significantly decreasing towards the posterior intestine. The microvilli surface area significantly is greater in the anterior and middle intestine than in the posterior intestine. Numerous openings of goblet cells were observed in the posterior intestine acting in epithelial protection and lubrication. SCANNING 38:336-343, 2016. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Morphology and histochemistry of the digestive tract in carnivorous freshwater Hemisorubim platyrhynchos (Siluriformes: Pimelodidae).

The aim of this study was to characterize the morphology and histochemistry of the digestive tract of Hemisorubim platyrhynchos, a freshwater carnivorous catfish found in Neotropical region, using gross anatomy, light microscopy and transmission electron microscopy. This species presented a short and tubular esophagus with thick longitudinal folds. The esophageal mucosa was lined by stratified squamous epithelium containing epithelial cells, club cells and also numerous goblet cells, which secreted acidic and neutral mucins to protect and lubricate the epithelium. The stomach was a J-shaped saccular organ consisting of the cardiac, fundic and pyloric regions. The cardiac and fundic regions contained tubular gastric glands, whereas these glands were absent in the pyloric region. The gastric epithelial cells presented apical secretions that predominantly consisted of neutral mucins. The gastric musculature was, therefore, likely designed for retaining prey and the mechanical preparation of food. The intestine consisted of four regions: anterior, middle, posterior and rectal. The anterior intestine possessed thick folds to increase the surface area for absorption, the middle intestine was coiled and the posterior intestine presented thin folds and a thick musculature. The intestinal epithelium consisted mainly of enterocytes and goblet cells. Enterocytes were columnar cells with a PAS-positive brush border that contained lysosomes in the posterior intestine. Goblet cells were more numerous in the posterior intestine and secreted acidic and neutral mucins important for lubricating and protecting the epithelium. The rectum was lined by columnar epithelium with goblet cells and epithelial cells containing apical acidic and neutral mucins.

Morphology and histochemistry of the liver of carnivorous fish Hemisorubim platyrhynchos / Morfología e histoquímica del hígado del pez carnívoro Hemisorubim platyrhynchos

The aim of this study was to characterize the normal structure of the liver of Hemisorubim platyrhynchos, a carnivorous freshwater catfish found in Neotropical region, using gross anatomy, histology and histochemistry. Anatomically, the liver presents C-shaped and only two lobes: smaller right and bigger left. The gallbladder is located in right lobe and shows elongated shaped. Histological analysis demonstrated that the hepatic parenchyma is made of two hepatocytes plates surrounded by sinusoids. The hepatocytes are polygonal-shaped cells, with spherical nucleus and a dark prominent nucleolus. The cytoplasm presents large amount of lipids and glycogen deposits PAS positives. There are no hepatic lobules or portal triads. Bile ducts are lined by columnar epithelial cells with apical mucosubstances PAS and AB positive. Furthermore, the liver presents melano-macrophages centers, distributed next to the blood vessels and bile ducts, constituted by cells accumulating pigments, whose presence may be related to the nutritional status of the fish. Moreover pancreatic tissue was observed in visceral portion of liver, formed by exocrine pancreatic tissue and islet organ, constituting an extrahepatic pancreas.

El objetivo de este estudio fue caracterizar la estructura normal del hígado de Hemisorubim platyrhynchos, un bagre carnívoro de agua dulce encontrado en la región neotropical, utilizando anatomía macroscópica, histología e histoquímica de mucosustancias. Anatómicamente, el hígado presenta una forma de C y sólo dos lóbulos de tamaño diferente: menor derecho y mayor izquierdo. La vesícula biliar se encuentra en el lóbulo derecho y presenta forma alargada. El análisis histológico demostró que el parénquima hepático está hecho de dos placas de hepatocitos rodeados por sinusoides. Los hepatocitos son células poligonales con núcleo esférico y un nucléolo oscuro prominente. El citoplasma presenta gran cantidad de lípidos y depósitos de glucógeno PAS positivos. No hay lóbulos hepáticos o triadas portal. Los conductos biliares están revestidos por células columnares epiteliales con mucosustancias apicales PAS y AB positivos. Además, el hígado presenta centros de melanomacrófagos, distribuidos junto a los vasos sanguíneos y conductos biliares, constituidos por células que acumulan pigmentos, cuya presencia puede estar relacionada con el estado nutricional de los peces. Por otra parte, el tejido pancreático se observó en la porción visceral de hígado, formado por tejido pancreático exocrino y órgano islote, que constituye un páncreas extrahepático.