Resumen

CABRERA A, Francisco J  y  GARCIA C, Gisela C. Mucins and Lipids Histochemistry of the Urinary System in the Spectacled Cayman (Caiman crocodilus crocodilus). Rev. Fac. Cienc. Vet. [online]. 2010, vol.51, n.1, pp.17-26. ISSN 0258-6576.

A histochemical study of mucins and lipids of the urinary tract of the spectacled caiman was conducted, using PAS stain, PAS-Alcian blue stain (at pH values of 2.5 and 1.0, respectively), “O” red oil stain, and Shultz method for steroids. Nine mature males and one mature female were used. The results of the present study show that the most relevant findings were the presence of neutral mucins in the brush border and of cytoplasmic droplets in all tubular nephrons and in the apical surface of the urothelium, as well as the presence of sialomucins from the distal tubule to the ureter. Lipid droplets composed of free fatty acids were observed in the cytoplasm of the cells of the intermediate segment of the nephron. The importance of mucins as mucosal protectors and urinary tract lubricants is discussed. The results of the study in the Caiman crocodilus crocodilus, appear to demonstrate the absence of portions of the nephron that either participate in the secretion of seminal fluid or are similar to the sexual segment of lizards and snakes.

Palabras clave : Urinary pathways; mucins; lipids; histochemistry; Caiman crocodilus crocodilus; Apure.

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