Usende, I., Oyelowo, F., Erondu, V., Kazeem, E., Adikpe, A., Ghaji, A., Olopade, J. (2017). Preliminary Investigations on the Harderian Gland of the African Giant Rat (Cricetomys gambianus, Waterhouse, 1840). test, 10(1), 37-47. doi: 10.21608/jva.2017.37155
Ifukibot Usende; Fatima Oyelowo; Victor Erondu; Ekeolu Oyetunde Kazeem; Agbonu Adikpe; Abdurrahman Ghaji; James Olopade. "Preliminary Investigations on the Harderian Gland of the African Giant Rat (Cricetomys gambianus, Waterhouse, 1840)". test, 10, 1, 2017, 37-47. doi: 10.21608/jva.2017.37155
Usende, I., Oyelowo, F., Erondu, V., Kazeem, E., Adikpe, A., Ghaji, A., Olopade, J. (2017). 'Preliminary Investigations on the Harderian Gland of the African Giant Rat (Cricetomys gambianus, Waterhouse, 1840)', test, 10(1), pp. 37-47. doi: 10.21608/jva.2017.37155
Usende, I., Oyelowo, F., Erondu, V., Kazeem, E., Adikpe, A., Ghaji, A., Olopade, J. Preliminary Investigations on the Harderian Gland of the African Giant Rat (Cricetomys gambianus, Waterhouse, 1840). test, 2017; 10(1): 37-47. doi: 10.21608/jva.2017.37155

Preliminary Investigations on the Harderian Gland of the African Giant Rat (Cricetomys gambianus, Waterhouse, 1840)

Journal of Veterinary Anatomy
Article 4, Volume 10, Issue 1, 2017, Pages 37-47
Document Type: Original Article
DOI: 10.21608/jva.2017.37155
Authors
Ifukibot Usende* 1; Fatima Oyelowo1; Victor Erondu2; Ekeolu Oyetunde Kazeem3; Agbonu Adikpe2; Abdurrahman Ghaji1; James Olopade4
1Department of Veterinary Anatomy, University of Abuja, Federal Capital Territory, Nigeria
2Department of Veterinary Physiology, University of Abuja, Federal Capital Terri- tory, Nigeria
3Department of Veterinary Anatomy, University of Benin, Nigeria
4Department of Veterinary Anatomy, University of Ibadan, Nigeria
Abstract
Abstract
Harderian gland (HG) is an orbital gland found in almost all vertebrae. Its function includes protection and lubri- cation of the corneal, site of immune responses, source of pheromones and lipid thermoregulation and also mela- tonin secretion and function. We de- scribed for the first time the HG of Af- rican giant rat (AGR), a nocturnal ro- dent belonging to the family Muridaeand order Rodentia and typical to the arid and temperate areas of Africa. Ten adult African giant rats weighing between 850g-1200g of both sexes were used. They were sacrificed and the gland harvested for gross observa- tions and sections were taken, fixed for routine histological examination.
Grossly, the AGR HG appeared lobu- lated and lobated. It weighs 1±0.08g with length and width of 2.9±0.2cm and 1.1±0.7cm respectively. Histologi- cally, the AGR HG showed extensive pleomorphism. The epithelium is sim- ple columnar with rounded to oval nu- cleus. Interestingly, we showed that the HG of the African giant rat is binu- cleated. While the mean epithelial height is 129.98 ± 5.36μm, the mean luminal diameter and mean tubular diameter are 211.43 ± 13.98μm and 479.04 ± 17.03μm respectively. The mean nuclear diameters of the small and large sized nucleus are 24.97 ± 0.68μm and 17.78 ± 0.62μm. This study reports baseline research data on the anatomy of AGR’s HG and will have usefulness in theoretical and ex- perimental studies of its vision, helping in domestication of this rodent.
Keywords
Keywords African giant rat; binucleated; domes- tication; Harderian gland; small nucle- us
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