RESUMO
The venom apparatus of the black scorpion Androctonus crassicauda has been characterized histologically and histochemically in the present study. The results showed that this apparatus consists of paired venom glands, each of which initially presents its own canal and posteriorily both fuse into a single common one. Each gland is covered by a sheath of striated muscle and is lined with extensively folded secretory epithelium (formed of non-secretory and secretory venom-producing cells). The outcomes also revealed that the venom-producing cells of both glands produce neutral mucosubstances, sialomucins, sulfomucins and proteins, but are devoid of glycogen. Cysteine, tyrosine, tryptophan and arginine were also detected along with activities of acid and alkaline phosphatases, mitochondrial adenosine triphosphatase, aminopeptidase, cholinesterase and non-specific esterases. Structure and secretion of scorpion venom glands are discussed within the context of the present results.(AU)
Assuntos
Animais , Venenos de Escorpião , Escorpiões , Histologia , Imuno-HistoquímicaRESUMO
A battery of histological and histochemical techniques was applied on the lead intranuclear bodies that have resuted in the kidneys of adult Wistar male rats receiving lead acetate in their diet to determine their nature. The intranuclear inclusion bodies have stained strongly with xanthene, anthraquinone, and trisulfonated basophilic dyes and weakly with dyes containing both positive and negative radicals, and they have responded negatively to acidophilic cationic dyes. They have also reacted positively to proteins and lead stains, but weakly to lipid stains, and negatively to Feulgen and methyl green pyronin techniques. The intranuclear bodies proved to be lead lipoprotein complexes containing sulfyhydryl groups and are basic in nature with orthochromatic, eosinophilic, argyrophilic, osmophilic, fuchsinophilic, and sudanophilic characteristics.
Assuntos
Estruturas do Núcleo Celular/química , Corpos de Inclusão/química , Chumbo/química , Animais , Corantes , DNA/química , DNA/genética , Histocitoquímica , Corpos de Inclusão/patologia , Rim/patologia , Túbulos Renais Proximais/patologia , Masculino , RNA/química , RNA/genética , Ratos , Ratos WistarRESUMO
Seven hepatic phosphatases were histochemically investigated in male white rats (Rattus norvegicus) pretreated with chronic subtoxic doses of lead acetate. Lead has increased the activities of alkaline-, acid-, neutral-, adenosine mono- and glucose-6-phosphatase, but has markedly decreased the activity of membrane-bound Na+-K+, ATPase while the activity of mitochondrial Mg2+-ATPase was not altered. It has also produced heterogenous alterations in the distribution patterns, sites of the enzymatic activities and in the intensity of phosphatase activities among the same type of cells in the terminal afferent and efferent venules of the hepatic lobules. The obtained histochemical findings indicate that the alterations in the activities of hepatic phosphatases could be an adaptation to the metabolic, structural and functional changes in the organelles of hepatic cells due to lead intoxication.
Assuntos
Intoxicação por Chumbo/enzimologia , Fígado/enzimologia , Monoéster Fosfórico Hidrolases/metabolismo , Fosfatase Ácida/metabolismo , Fosfatase Alcalina/metabolismo , Animais , Histocitoquímica , Chumbo/toxicidade , Intoxicação por Chumbo/patologia , Fígado/efeitos dos fármacos , Fígado/patologia , Masculino , Mitocôndrias Hepáticas/efeitos dos fármacos , Mitocôndrias Hepáticas/enzimologia , Nucleotidases/metabolismo , Compostos Organometálicos/toxicidade , Ratos , Ratos Wistar , ATPase Trocadora de Sódio-Potássio/metabolismoRESUMO
Morphometric, histological and histochemical studies were carried out on the sublingual salivary glands of the Arabian camel (Camelus dromedarius). The glands are of the tubulo-acinar type and consist of many lobules that are composed of two types of cells, mucoserous and seromucous. The mucoserous cells form the main secretory units of the gland but seromucous cells are much more seldom and form associated acini. The former cells secrete and elaborate large quantities of neutral mucosubstances, sialomucins and little sulphomucins while only the apical portion of the latter cells shows weak to moderate activity for neutral and acid mucosubstances. The histoenzymological tests employed here detected a considerable activity of alkaline phosphatase, succinic dehydrogenase, aminopeptidase and non-specific esterases, but weak activities of cytochrome oxidase, peroxidase and no activities of triacylglycerol lipase, beta-glucoronidase and amylase. The functional significance of these findings is discussed.
