Histometric Investigations on the Adrenal Gland of the Dromedary Camel (Camelus dromedarius)

Abstract

The histometry of the adrenal glands of the dromedary camel (Camelusdromedarius) was described for the first time in this study. Histological samples of the camel right and left adrenal glands collected from eight adult camels of both sexes at AL-Salam abattoir, Khartoum, Sudan were used in this study. Histometric measurements were performed on glandular capsule (Ca), cortical zones {zona glomerulosa (ZG), zona fasciculata (ZF), zona reticularis (ZR)} and glandular medulla (M). The right ZF which measured about 58.5% of the total cortical thickness was significantly thicker (P< 0.05) than the right ZG (18.2%) and right ZR (23.3%), whereas the right ZG and ZR were approximately equal in thickness. The right cortex (RCo) which formed 56.4% of the total glandular thickness was significantly thicker (P< 0.05) than the right medulla (RM) that measured 43.6 %. The left ZF (61.9% of the total cortical thickness) was significantly thicker than the left ZG and left ZR (16. 5% and 21.6%, respectively).The mean thickness of the left cortex (LCo) that formed 58.0 % of the total glandular thickness was significantly increased compared to the left medulla (LM) (41.9 %). Comparing the right gland with the left showed that the mean thickness of the right capsule (RCa) was in-significantly increased (P ˃ 0.05 than the left capsule (LCa); in-significant increase (P ˃ 0.05) was also observed in the mean thickness of the RCo compared to that of the LCo; the mean thickness of the RM was in-significantly increased compared to the LM. Furthermore, there was significant increase in the mean thickness of the RZG compared to the LZG and significant increase in the RZR than the LZR; however, an in-significant increase was shown in the RZF in comparison with LZF; additionally, the mean thickness of the RZF and LZF was greater than other two cortical layers. In conclusion, the ZF was the thickest zona in the cortex of camel adrenal gland and the ZG was the thinnest in both right and left glands; further, the cortex was generally thicker than the medulla in either side and the glandular capsule, cortical zones and medulla of the right adrenal glands are collectively thicker than those in the left one