Morphology of Intestinal Goblet Cells of The Dromedary (<i>Camelus dromedarius</i>)

Abstract

Morphology of the goblet cells in the intestine of the dromedary (Camelus dromedarius ) was carried out by light and electron microscopes. Histologically, the goblet cells appeared as globular or ovoidshaped with basally located flat nuclei. They were dispersed among the columnar cells lining the epithelia of the villi and crypts of Lieberkuhn, and they increased greatly in number towards the rectum. Goblet cells showed positive reaction to (PAS) stain. Ultrastructurally, the scanning electron microscopy showed villi with rough surface which displayed goblet cells and microvilli in the small intestine. In the large intestine, the surface of the mucosal fold was characteristically covered by goblet cells and epithelial cells. The ultrastructure of the goblet cells showed the cell membrane lacked microvilli and the cytoplasm contained numerous large spherical granules of mucin, rough endoplasmic reticulum and mitochondria. The nucleus containing eccentric nucleolus, chromatin and heterochromatin materials.

Key words: dromedary, goblet cells, intestine, morphology