Analysis of glycoconjugates and morphological characterization of the descending colon and rectum of the plains viscacha, Lagostomus maximus

TANO DE LA HOZ, MARÍA FLORENCIA ; FLAMINI, MIRTA ALICIA; PORTIANSKY, ENRIQUE LEO; DÍAZ, ALCIRA OFELIA

ZOOLOGY

ELSEVIER GMBH

Año: 2019

0944-2006

Herbivores exhibit specializations at the intestinal level that facilitate the bacterial fermentation. The available information on the digestive physiology of Lagostomus maximus makes this rodent an interesting model to evaluatemorpho-functional adaptations to herbivory. The general objective of this work was centered on the study of the morphology and histochemistry of the descending colon and rectum of L. maximus. To do so, a comparative analysis of the morphology, ultrastructure and glycosylation pattern of both anatomical regions was carried out. Histochemical results revealed that in both sectors of the large intestine, there are goblet cells with different glycosylation pattern within a morphologically homogeneous cell population. The main difference between both intestinal segments lay in the fact that the most distal region of the large intestine showed a greater proportion of sialomucins, characterized by being slightly O-acetylated. Further specific differences were revealedby lectin histochemistry. These data allowed to perform a functional interpretation of the cell types and secreted substances, thus contributing to a better understanding of the role of mucins in the intestinal tract functioning.