Antler velvet is thicker in adult than in yearling pampas deer (Ozotoceros bezoarticus): a histological study.

BACKGROUND: Antlers are lined by soft velvet tissue during antler growth. Later, the velvet is shed before rut onset. There are no detailed histological descriptions of the growing velvet, nor whether the velvet changes according to stag age. Our aims were to: 1) describe the basic histology of pampas deer antler velvet from adult and yearling males; and 2) determine the influence of age and time of antler growth on velvet's tissues morphometry. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Samples were collected from 10 stags allocated in two groups, either adult (3-5 years old, n = 5) or yearling males (2 years old, n = 5). The day of antler cast was recorded for each animal. In spring, the stags were anaesthetised and velvet samples were collected from the third tine's distal end. Samples were described qualitatively and a restricted morphometrical analysis of the antler velvet was performed. RESULTS: The number of keratinocyte layers and the thicknesses of: total epidermis, corneum, intermediate and basale epidermal strata, total dermis, superficial and deep dermis were determined. Age and days after antler casting positively influenced in conjunction epidermal thickness (p = 0.037), and tended to influence both stratum intermedium (p = 0.076) and stratum corneum (p = 0.1) thicknesses. Age influenced stratum corneum thickness (p = 0.04). The pampas deer antler velvet lacked both sweat glands and arrector pili muscles. CONCLUSIONS: The deep dermis was densely irrigated but displayed abundant and well developed collagen bundles. Both total epidermal and stratum corneum thicknesses related positively to the age of the animals but were not to the time since antler cast.

Undernutrition during foetal and post-natal life affects testicular structure and reduces the number of Sertoli cells in the adult rat.

To test whether undernutrition during foetal to pre-pubertal life would have long lasting effects on testicular histology in adult male offspring, eleven adult Sprague-Dawley pregnant rats were divided into two groups: Control group, n = 4, fed ad libitum, during gestation and lactation (until 25 day post-partum). Underfed group pregnant females (n = 7) were kept in cages where only dams had access to food (standard rat chow, 33.5% of ad libitum intake of Control group pregnant dams). After parturition, litters were adjusted to either 14 (Underfed group) or eight (Control group) pups. Mothers were weighed weekly. At 25 day of age pups were weaned, housed at four animals per cage, fed ad libitum and weighed weekly until euthanized at 100 day of age. Testes were processed for standard histology and morphometrical evaluation. At weaning, mother weight was lower in underfed than in Control group (mean +/- SD): 214.1 +/- 26.2 g vs 361.9 +/- 33.1 g. Body weight at 100 days of age (254 +/- 26.9 g vs 342.4 +/- 10.2 g, p

Histology of lamb epididymal development.

To describe the distribution of the histological regions and their morphometry during epididymal development, 10 Corriedale lambs were castrated monthly from 90 to 180 days of age (n = 24), and their testes and epididymides were weighed. All animals were weighed monthly. Epididymides were divided into caput, corpus and cauda, and cut sagitally so that sections included all the length of the organ. The diameter of the epididymal duct, the smooth muscle depth and the epididymal epithelium height were measured. The quantitative histology of the ovine epididymal development was described. Epididymal development advanced from caput to cauda. The distribution of the histological regions varied according to epididymal weight. Transient histological regions were found during epididymal development. The present results indicate a new way of epididymal development in sheep, which courses from caput to cauda with transient histological regions appearing, varying in location and disappearing during ovine epididymis development.

Androgen Receptor Distribution, PAS and Alcyan Blue Reaction in the Vomeronasal Organ and the Nasal Septum Mucosa of the Developing Male Rat / Distribución del Receptor de Andrógeno, Positividad a PAS y Alcyan Blue en el Órgano Vomeronasal y la Mucosa del Tabique Nasal Durante el Desarrollo de la Rata Macho

The vomeronasal organ (VNO) is a tubular chemoreceptory organ which detects environmental pheromones and is essential for mammalian normal reproductive activity. A sensitive chemoreceptory neuroepithelium lines the concave VNO wall and the opposite, convex wall is lined by a seudostratified, receptor-free epithelium. The secretion of the Jacobson glands (JG) -tubuloacinary glands lying in the lamina propia of the VNO - is essential for pheromones contacting vomeronasal organ chemoreceptors. Tubuloacinary glands lying in the connective tissue of the nasal septum mucosa (Bowman glands), can be classified as ventral and dorsal, according to their location. Positivity to PAS and Alcyan blue reactions and androgen receptor immunolocalization was evaluated with a semiquantitative system (0,1, 2 or 3 crosses) in JG, ventral Bowman glands (VBG), dorsal Bowman glands (DBG), sensitive chemoreceptory neuroepithelium (Ne), receptor-free epithelium (RFE) and nasal septum respiratory epithelium (RE) histological slides of male rats at 5, 15, 25 and 35 days of age. The VBG and JG were intensely positive to PAS reaction since 5 days of age, and weakly positive to Alcyan blue reaction (AB) since 15 days of age, but not at 5 days of age. Both JG and VBG were strongly positive to androgen receptor immunolocalization at all ages studied (15, 25 and 35 days of age). DBG were always negative to both PAS and AB reactions. The NE and the RFE and nasal mucosa luminar epithelium were negative. To our knowledge, this is the first report of androgen receptor (AR) immunolocalization in the vomeronasal organ and the nasal septum mucosa. The present results also suggest an influence of androgens on the mechanism of pheromones contacting with the Ne of the VNO through regulation of the Jacobson glands secretion.

El órgano vomeronasal (VNO) es un órgano quimioreceptor, tubular, que detecta feromonas ambientales. Es esencial para la actividad reproductiva normal de los mamíferos. El VNO está formado por un neuroepitelio quimiosensible (pared cóncava, Ne) y un epitelio pseudoestratificado (epitelio libre de receptores: RFE) en la pared opuesta, convexa. La secreción de las glándulas tubuloacinares de Jacobson (JG), ubicadas en la lámina propia del VNO, son esenciales para que las feromonas entren en contacto con el Ne. Las glándulas tubuloacinares ubicadas en la mucosa del tabique nasal (glándulas del Bowman), se pueden clasificar como ventrales (VBG) y dorsales (DBG), según su localization. La positividad a las técnicas de PAS, Azul de Alcián (AB) e immunolocalization del receptor de andrógeno (AR), fueron evaluadas con un sistema semicuantitativo (0, 1, 2 o 3 cruces) en láminas histológicas de JG, VBG, DBG, Ne, RFE y del epitelio del tabique nasal (RE) en ratas macho de 5, 15, 25 y 35 días de edad. Las VBG y JG fueron intensamente positivas a la reacción de PAS desde los 5 días de edad y débilmente positivas a la reacción de AB desde los 15 días de edad, pero no a los 5 días de la edad. Las JG y VBG fueron fuertemente positivas a la immunolocalization del AR en las edades estudiadas (15, 25 y 35 días de edad). Las DBG fueron siempre negativas a las reacciones de PAS y AB. El NE, el RFE y el RE fueron negativos. Según nuestro conocimiento, éste es el primer informe de immunolocalization del AR en el VNO y la mucosa del tabique nasal. Los actuales resultados sugieren una influencia de los andrógenos en el mecanismo por el cual entran en contacto las feromonas y el Ne, a través de la regulación por andrógenos de la secreción de las JG.