Histomorphology of the liver of bicuda Boulengerella cuvieri (agassiz, 1829) (Teleostei, Ctenoluciidae)

Abstract

The aim of this study was to describe the morphology of the liver of Boulengerella cuvieri. Six specimens from the Rio Teles Pires, municipality of Carlinda - MT were used . For morphological analysis of the liver was performed with aperture of the peritoneal cavity with ventral incision, to expose the organs that were photographed in situ and separately. In the technique of light microscopy, specimens were processed in a series of increasing alcohol, leaf clearing in xylene and embedding in paraplast. The fragments were cut with a thickness of 5μm and stained with hematoxylin-eosin. The liver of this species appeared as a compact body, reddish brown in color, located in the cranial region of the peritoneal cavity, caudal to esophagus, cranial to the pyloric caeca and skull ventrally to the stomach. This organ consisted of a single hepatic lobe, which had three separate asymmetrical parts: a right side, a left side, and a central cranial portion of pyramidal shape. The right side portion of rectangular jagged edges presented flow, the upper longer than the lower, left side more elongated than the right, and center, lower than the others. Histologically, the parenchyma showed disorganized and composed of hepatocytes that formed cords and converging to blood vessels. It is possible also observe pancreatic tissue forming the hepatopancreas. Isolated cells were also present in the liver tissue, such as lymphocytes and free melanomacrophages. In B. cuvieri were not observed the portal triads.

Keywords

• morphological analysis
• hepatopancreas
• liver tissue
• hepatocytes