Development of the Liver in Alpaca (Vicugna pacos): A Microscopic and Macroscopic Description

. CASTRO ANC; DOM
ıNGUEZ MT; G
OMEZ SA; MENDOZA TORRES GJ; LLERENA ZAVALA CA, ; GHEZZI MD; BARBEITO CG.

ANATOMIA HISTOLOGIA EMBRYOLOGIA-JOURNAL OF VETERINARY MEDICINE SERIES C

Blackwell Verlag GmbH

Año: 2015

0340-2096

South American camelids have several biological, morphological and behaviouraladaptations that allow them to live in geographical areas dominated byhigh altitudes. The liver has hematopoietic functions during the prenatal life,which could be modified in response to the unfavorable habitat. However,there are no previous data on the prenatal development of the liver in thesespecies. In the present work, a study on the macroscopic and microscopic morphology of the liver of the alpaca during ontogeny was performed. Forty-oneanimals ranging in age from 20 days of embryonic development to adults werestudied. Macroscopic and microscopic observations were performed on samplessubjected to different techniques. Less than 7-g specimens were studied withstereoscopic magnifying glass. The general characteristics of the prenatal liverare similar to those of other mammals, and the structures related to hematopoietic function follow an ontogenic pattern similar to that of previously studied precocial species. However, there are differences in morphology whencompared to descriptions for the Old World camelids, including the absence ofrelation between the caudate lobe and the right kidney and the lack of interlobular connective tissue