الفهرس 
IntroductionOnly 14 pages are availabe for public view
 |  | from | 203 |  |  |
| | | from | 203 | | |
Abstract
The current study was carried out on sixty African catfish (Clarias gariepinus) of both sexes (30 males and 30 females) with average one-year age. The pituitary gland, Stannius corpuscles, the compact and the disseminated pancreas were collected. Histological, histochemical and ultrastructural studies were applied on the three endocrine glands. Immunohistochemical study was applied on pancreatic endocrine cells (alpha and beta).
In the catfish (Clarias gariepinus), The specimens for light microscopy were immediately fixed in 10% buffered neutral formalin and in Bouin’s solution overnight at 4ºC and processed for paraffin technique. Sections of 4 µm thickness were obtained and used for either routine histological examination, periodic acid Schiff’s, orange G stain and Masson’s trichrome stain. About 1 mm³ tissue pieces for transmission electron microscopy were fixed in a buffered (1% glutaraldehyde and 10 % formaldehyde in 0.1 M phosphate buffer at pH. 7.4 and 4°C). Ultrathin sections were cut and stained with uranyl acetate and lead citrate examined and photographed with JEOL JEM. Immunohistochemical methods were applied to detect the distribution of islet’s cells using anti-glucagon and anti-insulin.
The results revealed that the morphology of the three endocrine glands was similar in both sexes but histologically not identical. Each gland surrounded by a thin C.T. capsule. from the capsule, the highly vascularized C.T. septa were extended into the parenchyma of the glandular tissue dividing it into incomplete lobules in the case of the pancreas and Stannius corpuscles. On the other hand, the C.T capsule did not divide the pituitary gland into incomplete lobules.